Purgatory
by LizzeXX
Summary: Sam/OC Dean has returned from Hell to a very different Earth. Sam seems to hate Michelle. Michelle seems to have abandoned Sam. Castiel, an angel of the Lord, believes Lucifer might walk free. Everyone seems to have sins to make up for. Second in the Davidson Gospels trilogy.
1. Interlude

A/N: This is the second story in my Davidson Gospels trilogy featuring my OC Michelle Davidson, a Hunter from a long line. I would recommend reading the first story 'Hell' to understand what will be happening in this second story.

Michelle is a tall woman with chocolate brown hair that is slightly wavy and falls a little below her shoulders. She has gray eyes, pale skin, with no freckles or markings save a small scar next to her left eyebrow.

~8~ is a scene break

This story will be updated daily :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural...otherwise Ruby would have been offed ages ago (hate her!).

~8~

Interlude

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, "Is it Sam? Something happen to him? What'd he do now?"

"Sam's fine, sleeping in the motel."

"Then what are you doing here? You shouldn't leave that boy alone."

"I know, I just…I need you to take some things for me. Keep them, sell them, I don't care."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's something Gabriel said…I know what to do now."

"You sure he wasn't just lying to you? He's a Trickster!"

"No. He wouldn't lie to me, not about this. And...Sam _needs_ this. I'll…I'll be fine. You know me. Just…give this to Sam? Watch over him for me?"

Bobby nodded, taking the knife, "Are you absolutely _sure_ about this?"

"Keep an eye out, ok?"

~8~

"So why me?" the demon asked.

"Because you're the only one who wants this more than anything."

"True," the demon smirked, mind whirling with thoughts on what this could mean if she agreed to hold the contract the King of the Crossroad Demons was about to make with the person before her.

"So do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

~8~

"Do you know what you are _asking_ me?" he asked, his voice gruff, his blue eyes staring.

"I do, and I'm sorry, but it has to be done."

"Why?"

"It needs to end, this is the first step. And I made a promise."

"One day your promises will get you killed," he sighed.

"I think they already have. Please?"

He nodded, "I will watch out for him and, when the time comes, make sure he is safe and well cared for."

"Thank you."

A/N: Seriously...I think this is the shortest chapter I have EVER written and ever will write, so don't worry, there will NOT be a chapter shorter than this. I really wanted to lay on the suspense, much like at the start of 'Hell' I wanted to bring up more questions. Most of what happens here will be explained by the end of this story, but I really wanted to pique your interest. I hope I succeeded.

To answer a question in a review of 'Hell,' I'm only going to be writing this series up to the end of Season 5. For some reason I just really couldn't get into the rest of Supernatural after that season. And the way I have my last chapter playing out, well, too many things are different for it to follow the show's storyline after Season 5.

So many questions in this little chapter though...who's Bobby talking to? He knows who the Trickster is? Why hasn't he told the boys? What might the Trickster be lying about? Why wouldn't the Trickster lie to this person? Bobby should keep an eye out for what? What contract is being made? By who? And Crowley's involved? Who's the demon holding it? Who's this mysterious man at the end? Who's he watching out for? WHAT IS GOING ON?!


	2. Lazarus Rising

Lazarus Rising

Dean and Bobby were sitting in the living room of Bobby's house, empty liquor bottles on the table, Dean wiping the holy water Bobby had just sprayed all over him off his face.

"That don't make a lick of sense," Bobby muttered.

"Yeah, you're preaching to the choir," Dean agreed.

"Dean, your chest was _ribbons_, your insides were slop, and you've been buried _four months_, even if you _could_ slip out of Hell and back into your meat suit…"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject."

Bobby hesitated a moment, "What do you remember?"

Dean sat down, deep in thought, trying his hardest to remember what it had been like in Hell, "Not much. I remember I was a hellhound's chew toy and then...lights out, then I come to six feet under, that's was it," Bobby sat down at his desk, looking very confused, while Dean continued, "Sam's number's not working, neither is Michelle's, their uh...he's not…"

"Oh, he's alive, as far as I know," Bobby sighed.

"Good...wait," Dean glared at him, "What do you mean 'as far as you know?' And what about Michelle?"

"I haven't talked to him for months," Bobby admitted, "And I haven't heard from Michelle either."

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself? _Michelle_ just let him go? Bobby, you should have been looking after them…"

Bobby stood up, interrupting Dean, "Well these last months haven't been exactly easy and you _know_ Michelle, there's no way she'd leave that boy by himself."

"Then where _is_ she?" Dean argued, "Why _isn't_ she with Sam?"

"I don't know ok!" Bobby looked away, earning a suspicious look from Dean, "She came to my house the day we…we had to bury you. We'd been talking about how we might be able to break the contract without either you or Sammy dying and what we could do if we failed. She said she had a plan, needed more research," he sat down heavily, "She came back later saying she figured it out and to give Sam that knife she's always carrying. Then she left."

"So_ she _brought me back?"

Bobby shook his head, "No, I don't think she did. The way she was talking, she was going to get you outta Hell that _day_. It's been _months_ Dean. I tried to contact her but she gave me her phone along with all her other stuff. I just think whoever she went to, to get you out, screwed her over, changed the contract, took her out, I don't know, but she was gone and so were you."

Dean shook his head, rubbing his shoulder, "Why _did_ you bury me anyway?"

"I wanted you salted and burned, the usual drill. But Sam wouldn't have it. Michelle didn't get involved."

"Well, I'm glad he won that one."

Bobby grew grim, "He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow, that's about _all_ he said."

"What do you mean?"

"After you died, he was out of it. Withdrew from everyone, only one he let near him was Michelle. But when she disappeared he got…quiet..._real_ quiet. Then, he just took off, wouldn't return my calls, wouldn't even let me talk about Michelle and what she was planning. I tried to find him, but he don't wanna be found."

"Aw damn it Sammy!" Dean slammed his fist onto the table, suddenly realizing something.

"What?" Bobby looked up.

"Oh, he got me home ok, if Michelle couldn't, he would," Dean shook his head, "But whatever he did...it is _bad_ mojo."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You should have seen the gravesite, it was like a nuke went off. Then there was this…this _force_, this presence, uh…I don't know but, it…it blew past me at a fill-up joint, and then this…" he lifted up his shirt sleeve to reveal a scorched handprint on his left shoulder. Bobby stood up and went over to him.

"What in the hell?" Bobby eyed the print.

"Yeah, it's like a demon just yanked me out, or rode me out…"

"But why?"

"To hold up their end of the bargain."

"You think Sam made a deal?" Bobby's eyes widened.

"It's what I would have done," Dean answered, getting up to find his little brother.

~8~

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean demanded of his brother as he watched Sam say goodbye to a brunette and shut the door behind her.

He still couldn't believe how different his brother was upon seeing him, standing in a hotel with a half-naked woman, treating her like a one night stand. It especially pissed him off to see his brother dealing with a hooker when he had a perfectly good woman in Michelle, regardless of whether she was there right now or not. He just couldn't wrap his head around what happened to her. He couldn't reconcile the woman he knew Michelle to be with what she had seemingly done, up and left.

"The girl?" Sam chuckled, "I don't pay Dean."

"That's not funny Sam," Dean said, referring not only to the fact that he wasn't talking about that sort of thing, but also that he seemed to be so over Michelle, "To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?"

"That's _exactly_ what we think," Bobby nodded.

"Well I didn't."

"_Don't_ lie to me," Dean ordered.

"I'm _not_ lying," Sam insisted.

Dean approached his brother, "So what? Now _I'm_ off the hook and _you're_ on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch boy, or did you give them Michelle? Huh? I didn't want to be saved like that."

As though a switch was flipped Sam became enraged and shoved Dean away, "Don't you _dare_ talk about _that bitch_."

Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "The hell are you talking about?"

"Michelle," he nearly spat, "Don't you _dare_ bring her up around me. Do you _know_ what she did?"

Dean glanced at Bobby, who shook his head not to say anything.

Sam didn't seem to notice as he continued, "She left! I needed her, the _one time_ I actually _needed_ someone and she wasn't there. Three days! That was all it took for her to up and leave. You were _dead_ and she just _left_. She left me _alone_…" Sam actually started to cry a bit at this and Dean _knew_ it hadn't been his brother who got him out. Sam took a breath, "Look, Dean I wish I had done it alright…if I didn't have Michelle, then I needed _you_. I tried _everything_, that's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate, hell, I tried to bargain Dean, but no demon would deal alright? You were rotting in Hell, for months…for _months _and I couldn't stop it. And I had no one with me to help me. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, alright? Dean, I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Sammy," Dean sighed, hugging his brother, "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I am glad that Sam's soul remains intact, but that _does_ raise a sticky question," Bobby began.

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?" Dean looked up at Bobby.

If it hadn't been Sam or Michelle then who?

~8~

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Sam asked, watching his brother put on his necklace again.

"What, Hell?" Dean looked up at him before sighing in frustration, "I don't know, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

"Thank God for that," Sam smiled.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

~8~

Dean was driving the Impala down the highway, following behind Bobby, on their way to visit the man's psychic friend, when he turned to glance at his brother, "There's still one thing that's bothering me…"

"Yeah?" Sam looked over, unable to stop smiling now that he had his brother back.

"Yeah, the night that I bit it, or got bit. How'd you and Mi…you guys make it out? I thought Lilith was gonna kill you."

"She tried," Sam admitted, "But she couldn't."

"What do you mean she couldn't?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"She fired this like burning light at...us, and...it didn't leave a scratch, like we were immune or something was protecting us," Sam shrugged.

"Immune?"

"Yeah, I don't know who was more surprised her or us. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh...what about Ruby, where is she?" Dean hesitated a moment, not really caring where the demon had gone.

"Dead, or in Hell."

"So, you been using your, uh, freaky E.S.P. stuff?" Dean asked. He was dreading the answer, he knew that Sam had issues _not_ using it and without him or Michelle keeping an eye on him, Dean could only imagine what he'd gotten up to.

"No…" Sam began, only to be cut off by his brother.

"You _sure_ about that? Ah, well, I mean, now that you've got immunity, whatever the hell that is. I'm just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you got going on."

"Nothing, Dean," Sam sighed, frustrated, "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road, it was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."

~8~

Bobby knocked on the door just a second before a beautiful woman opened it to see him standing on the porch with Sam and Dean.

"Ha ha, Bobby!" she reached out and pulled him into a bear hug, actually managing to lift him off the ground while the boys watched, amused.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," he smiled at her.

"So, are these the boys?" she looked over at them.

"Sam, Dean, Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state," Bobby introduced.

"Hey," Dean nodded.

"Hi," Sam greeted.

"Mm-mm-mmm," she eyed them, obviously checking them out, "Dean Winchester, out of the fire and back in the frying pan huh? That makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so," Dean shrugged.

Pamela shook her head and turned to Bobby, "So where's the other one?"

"Other one?" he asked, looking between her and Sam.

"The girl," she answered as though it were obvious, "You know, about yay high," she held up her hand about an inch or two shorter than Sam, "Brown hair, gray eyes, damn handy with a gun. Special little thing she is."

"Uh," Dean cleared his throat, seeing a dark look appear on his brother's face, "She's not here."

"Obviously," Pamela rolled her eyes, noticing the looks the boys were sending Sam, "Come on in."

~8~

Things did not end well during the séance Pamela had held for them. She had tried to contact the demon who had taken Dean out of Hell. He'd warned the woman to leave him alone, actually claimed he was busy, before she demanded he show himself to her…melting the eyes right out of her head. They rushed her to the hospital and she was stabilized now, the doctors taking care of her.

The day just got worse as they found themselves in a diner with three demons working inside. Dean had wished Michelle had been there, it would have been useful to know they'd been sitting there, surrounded by demons, so they could be prepared. But, surprisingly, the demons didn't attack, not even when Dean slapped one.

Even worse was that night, when a loud pitched noise had almost caused Dean to bleed out his ears on the floor of the motel. Bobby had rescued him and they were now driving back to Bobby's place after talking to Sam, who hadn't been in the room at the time, on the phone.

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby asked, referring to Dean's last discussion with Sam.

"'Cause he'd just try to stop us," Dean replied.

"From what?" Bobby said slowly.

"Summoning this thing," Dean answered. Bobby looked at Dean, who looked back at him seriously, "It's time we face it head on."

"You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack, it's high noon baby."

"Well, we don't know what it is, it could be a demon it could be anything," Bobby began, before sighing, "Dean, if it's _that_ powerful, what if…what if it's the thing that got Michelle?"

"What?" he looked at Bobby, now more shocked than serious.

"Think about it, Michelle goes to save you and she disappears, and then you eventually show up again," he swallowed, "What if it had something to do with her? You know Michelle can take care of herself, ain't no demon alive gonna take her down without a fight."

Dean set his jaw, "That's why we gotta be ready for anything."

Unlike Sam, who thought Michelle had abandoned him, both he and Bobby were of the mind that something _had to_ have happened to Michelle. A demon or something had to have taken her out for her to not make her way back to Sam. She would_ never_ just _leave_ him. Not like _that_. And if this_ was_ the demon that had killed her…well…he wanted to make sure it died a horribly painful death at his hands for it.

~8~

Dean and Bobby were sitting in a barn, spray painted with every symbol from every faith that could help them defend themselves from whatever they had just summoned…which explained why Dean was now standing across from a man who had just withstood Ruby's knife and knocked out Bobby by just touching his forehead.

Dean was leaning over Bobby, checking his pulse and looking back over at the man who was now flipping through a book on the table. He glanced up at Dean, "Your friend's alive."

"Who are you?" Dean glared at him.

"Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean _what_ are you?"

"I'm an angel of the Lord."

Dean stood up, "Get the hell outta here, there's no such thing."

"This is your problem Dean, you have no faith," Castiel stared at him as lightning cracked around them and the lights formed a shadow of huge wings extending from the man's back.

"Some angel you are, you burned out that poor woman's eyes," Dean chastised.

Castiel sighed and looked down, "I warned her not to spy on my true form, it can be...overwhelming to humans and I was too preoccupied to try and shield her from it. My real voice can also be overwhelming, but you already knew that."

Dean's eyes widened, "You mean the gas station and the motel. That was _you_..._talking_?" Castiel nodded, "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

"It was my mistake, certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them, I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now, huh?" Dean eyed him, "What, holy tax accountant?"

"This…this is a vessel," Castiel explained, looking down at himself, dressed in a white suit with a tie and a tan trench coat.

"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."

"Look, pal, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you, really?"

"I told you."

"Right, and why would an _angel _rescue_ me _from Hell?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Good things _do_ happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience."

Castiel sighed, "I rescued you because she willed it."

"Who?" Dean's brow furrowed in confusion.

"The one who saved you," he replied cryptically.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean shook his head, "I thought _you_ saved me?"

"When you were lifted from perdition," he explained, still not clarifying anything, "I brought you to Heaven to be healed."

"Why would anyone want to save me from Hell?" Dean shook his head.

"You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

"And why did you bring me to Heaven?"

"Because we have work for you," Castiel replied, "Because it was asked of me by her."

~8~

Quite a few states away, in a little pasture where an enormous oak tree was growing, a figure gasped awake, before rolling on her side and curling up in a fetal position, her hand gripping her left shoulder, shaking from the pain, physical and emotional. The sudden movement hadn't been smart on her part, not by a long shot, but it helped comfort her a bit.

She breathed heavily, trying to gain control of her body, when a piercing high-note screeched around her. She sighed, looking up at the sky, listening intently to the voice within the screech.

She nodded, pushing herself off the ground and struggling towards a road, she needed to get to Bobby's and fast.

A/N: Woo! I posted! Sorry, my town is doing rolling blackouts, cutting off the grid so they can work on it, I was out 10 and a half hours yesterday (all time I was going to use to write FF). I was afraid that it would last much longer and I wouldn't be able to post. Not the case, thankfully. And now we've got a little more of a chapter. I tried to keep it more towards Dean's POV here, so that we get a sense of his confusion and just returning to the world of the show through his eyes.

And even more questions...what happened to Michelle? Who's right? Dean, thinking a deal went bad, or Sam, believing she abandoned him? Does Dean _really_ not remember Hell? What was Castiel 'too preoccupied' with? And who is this HER that Castiel keeps speaking of? Who saved Dean? And who is this waking up at the end?

Oh boy, things are about to get interesting...


	3. R You There God? Its Me Dean Winchester

Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester

Bobby was sitting at his desk reading a book, a pile of other books beside him, listening to Dean and Sam argue in the kitchen.

"Well, then tell me what else it could have been," Sam demanded.

"Look, all I know is that I was _not_ groped by an _angel_," Dean argued.

"Ok, look Dean," Sam sighed, "Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon? Demons lie."

Sam threw his head back, annoyed, "A demon who's immune to salt rounds? And Devil's Traps? _And_ Ruby's knife? Dean, _Lilith_ is _scared_ of that thing."

"Yeah well maybe Lilith _sent_ this thing. He kept saying that 'she' wanted me out of Hell, and that 'she' wanted him to help me."

"Why would _Lilith_ want you _out_ of Hell?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "She was all gung-ho to get you _sent_ to Hell in the first place!"

"I don't know!" Dean nearly shouted, "But don't you think that, if angels _were_ real, that some Hunter, somewhere, would have seen one? At some point? Ever?"

"Yeah," Sam rolled his eyes, "_You_ just did, Dean."

Dean sighed and looked at his brother, "I'm trying to come up with a theory here, ok? Work with me."

"Dean, we _have_ a theory."

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please," Dean glared at him.

"Ok, look. I'm not saying we know for sure, I'm just saying that I think we…"

"Ok, ok, _that's_ the point. We _don't_ know for sure so I'm not gonna believe this thing is a freaking 'angel of the Lord' because it _said_ so."

"You two chuckleheads wanna keep arguing religion, or you wanna come look at this?" Bobby called out to them. Sam and Dean looked at each other for a moment before walking over to Bobby, who held out a book for them to see, "I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre-Biblical, some of it's in damn _cuneiform_," he said, before grumbling to himself, "Don't know how that girl made heads or tails of this."

"What?" Dean looked up at Bobby from where he was looking at pictures of people with the same handprint on their shoulders as him.

"Michelle," Bobby replied, ignoring Sam tightening his fists.

"What about her?" Sam ground out.

"These are all hers," he gestured to a small stack of books, the ones he had referenced moments ago.

"Michelle was a religious fanatic?" Dean asked, picking up a book and looking at it a moment before tossing it back on the pile. Well, he hadn't gotten _that_ vibe off her.

"No ya idjit," Bobby glared at him, "She told ya how her mom studied legends of other cultures right?" they nodded, "That also applies to Christian legend as well," he shrugged, "And just because they were Hunters don't mean they can't bereligious," he turned the book back to him, "It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Sam asked, desperate to get the topic off Michelle.

"What else, what?" Bobby eyed them.

"What else could do it?" Dean clarified.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

He sat back in his chair, watching as Sam turned to Dean with a smile on his face, "Dean, this is _good_ news."

"How?" Dean turned to his brother.

"Because, for once, this _isn't_ another round of demon crap! I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

Dean didn't look like he agreed at all, "Ok. Say it's true. Say, there _are_ angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"This point, Vegas money's on 'yeah,'" Bobby smirked, earning a smile from Dean.

"I don't know guys," Dean turned away from them.

"Ok, look. I…I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff but this is becoming less and less about faith, and more and more about proof…" Sam began.

"Proof?" Dean laughed.

"Yes."

"Proof that there's a God or some sort of being out there that actually gives a crap about _me_, personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

"Why not?"

"Because why _me_? If there's a God out there, why would he give a crap about me? Why does this lady give a crap?"

"Dean…" Sam tried but Dean continued.

"I mean, I've saved some people, ok. I figure I've made up for the...for the stealing and the...and the ditching chicks. But why do _I _deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

"Well, apparently you're a regular guy that's important to the man or woman upstairs."

Dean rolled his eyes at the implication that God might be the woman who sent Castiel, "Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by...God."

"Ok, well too bad, Dean," Sam smirked, "Because I think he, or she, wants you to strap on your party hat."

Dean cleared his throat and glanced at the books for a moment, "Fine. What do we know about angels?"

Bobby sat up in the chair and grabbed a few books, handing them to the boys, "Start reading."

Sam frowned as Dean turned to him, slamming his hand down on a book, "You're gonna get me some pie," he ordered, and then he walked off.

Sam pouted and turned to Bobby, who seemed lost in thought, "Times like these I wish Michelle were here," Bobby said softly, "She knows these books backwards and forwards."

He sighed and reached forward to take a book for himself while Sam just turned and stormed out of the house.

They _didn't_ need Michelle.

~8~

It was not a good day for the group. Sam had returned from the store to find Dean about to head out to check on a friend of Bobby's who had turned up dead, along with three other friends, all killed by a terrible spirit, and even worse, Sam forgot the pie. Not to mention, on their way back to Bobby's house after their investigation, they'd been attacked by the ghost of Agent Henricksen, who blamed them for his death and the others in the police station that day.

Somehow all they managed to make it out of the gas station where Henricksen had appeared and raced back to Bobby's. When they entered to see no sign of Bobby and only a poker lying on the floor they feared the worst, that some sort of ghost had come after him. Dean instructed Sam to search outside while he checked upstairs.

Dean had gone upstairs and come face-to-face with Meg Masters, a woman they had had to kill when she was possessed by a powerful demon a couple years ago. She laid it on pretty thick, getting Dean's guard down enough where she could beat him to a pulp on the floor, shouting at him about all the blood on his hands.

He was currently crawling on his hands and knees into the room at the end of the hall, holding up his left hand at Meg in surrender. Meg stood in the doorway, leaning on it as he fell to the floor and turned onto his back, aiming a gun at her.

She pushed off the doorway and walked over to him, smiling, "Come on, Dean," she scoffed, "Did your brain get french-fried in Hell? You can't shoot _me_ with bullets."

Before he could even aim at the iron lamp on the ceiling, Meg knocked the gun out of his hands. His eyes widened as he backed up, now completely defenseless against the ghost advancing on him. She kicked him, sending him collapsing back against the wall, curling up and holding his hand up to try and defend himself. She reached down, ready to rip his heart out, when a shot rang out.

Dean looked up to see Meg disappear and, behind her, a figure in the doorway, a shotgun in hand, breathing hard.

"Miss me?" Michelle asked, lowering the gun as Dean stared, wide eyed.

~8~

Sam had almost missed Bobby but found him and a weapon just in time to destroy two ghost girls that were tormenting the man. As soon as they were taken care of he helped Bobby to his feet before hearing a gunshot ring out from the house and racing towards it. He was not _at all_ happy with what he found, Michelle, helping his brother off the floor, while holding a shotgun in her hand.

She looked up when he entered the room, freezing in her efforts when they came face-to-face with each other for the first time in _months_.

"Michelle?" Bobby asked, shocked to be seeing her standing there.

Dean stood the rest of the way, taking in the girl's appearance, especially when all she gave Bobby for an answer was a small nod. It was then that he noticed what was wrong. She was pale, _very_ pale, and shaking terribly. How she even managed to aim or fire the gun was beyond him. The calming effect he usually got from just glancing at her was gone. And her eyes, her face was neutral but her _eyes_ gave her away as they reflected such a deep and terrible pain and horrible fear that he just wanted to hug her and comfort her. Him! _He_ actually _wanted_ to _hug_ her.

"You still have my books?" she asked quietly when no one said anything for a moment, her voice was hoarse though, and not a' getting over an illness' hoarse, but the kind that only happened when you'd screamed yourself raw.

Bobby nodded, "Still got all your stuff," he admitted. He motioned towards the hall, but Michelle didn't move, her gaze fixed on Sam. Dean looked over to see his brother glaring at her.

"Sam?" Dean called, trying to snap his brother out of his stupor. Sam looked over at him before glancing at Michelle and stepping back into the hallway to let her out of the room.

Michelle swallowed hard and slowly walked out of the room, her movements stiff. Dean glanced at Bobby to see him staring at the girl, just as worried as he felt.

They followed her down to Bobby's study where she looked at her books, stacked on the table, before looking at the bookshelf and pulling one out. She stood quietly, flipping through the book, clearly searching for something.

Dean sat on the couch, deciding to work on the weapons while Bobby stood by the desk, watching Michelle, and Sam paced the room, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"So they're all people we know?" Sam said when the silence became unbearable.

"Not just know," Michelle commented, not looking up, "People we couldn't save."

Bobby and Dean looked up at that comment, thinking a moment before agreeing that it made sense.

"I saw something on Meg," Dean said to Michelle, before turning to Sam to confirm anything before he said it, "Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

"I don't think so," Sam replied.

Dean turned back to Michelle, "It was like a…a mark on her hand. Almost like a brand."

"I saw a mark, too, on Henricksen," Sam added.

"Did it look like this?" Michelle reached out and drew the exact symbol on a paper.

"That's it," Dean nodded.

"I think I've seen this before," Bobby commented, leaning over to see it too.

"You have," Michelle nodded, holding up her book, about to say something when the lights flickered. Her eyes widened, realizing what was happening, "We gotta move, now," she handed the book to Bobby, turning to grab two more and giving them to him as well. She cocked her gun and started to walk out of the room, "Follow me."

"Where we going?" Dean asked, following her.

She glanced behind her at Bobby, who nodded, taking the lead, "Someplace safe, you idjit."

He quickly led them down some stairs and up to a wall with an iron door in it. He grabbed the handle and pushed it open for them to see a large fan spinning on the ceiling and marks on the floor, various other symbols on the walls. There were cabinets of food and weapons along with a cot and desk.

Dean and Sam looked at each other a moment, in shock, before stepping into the room.

"This good?" Bobby asked Michelle as he shut the door behind them.

"For now," she answered, taking the books from him and placing them on the bed.

"Bobby, is this…" Sam looked around the room, still in awe.

"Solid iron," he smirked, "Completely coated in salt. 100 percent ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" Sam raised an eyebrow, very impressed.

"I had a weekend off," Bobby shrugged. It had been something he'd mentioned to Michelle that he was planning to work on, when Dean had died, needing _something_ to take his mind off it, to distract him.

"Bobby," Dean called, holding one of the big riffles.

"What?"

Dean looked up from the weapon and smiled at Bobby, "You're awesome."

"The symbol you saw, the brand on the ghosts," Michelle interrupted their appreciative banter. They turned to see her looking at the book before looking up at Bobby, "'Mark of The Witness.'"

"Witness?" Dean quirked an eyebrow, "Witness to what?"

"The unnatural."

"None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths," Bobby clarified.

"They're ghosts that were put to rest but later forced to rise," Michelle explained, shutting the book and putting it down only to pick up another, "They woke up in agony."

Bobby nodded, recalling this, "They're like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose 'em...on purpose."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Do I look like I know?"

"Whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls," Michelle continued, also telling them she didn't know either.

Dean looked at Sam a moment, seeing that he was calming down to Michelle's presence just a bit. He glanced over at Michelle who rolled her stiff shoulder absently, moving to rub it for a moment, still focused on the book.

"Whoever did this had big plans," Bobby shook his head, "It's called 'The Rising of the Witnesses' and it figures into an ancient prophecy."

"Wait, wait," Dean called, getting out of his chair and walking over to them, "What book is that prophecy from?"

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know, but uh..." he glanced at Michelle

"Long story short," Michelle answered, "Revelations."

The boys' eyes widened in surprised.

"It's a sign," Bobby sighed, rubbing her head.

"A sign of what?" they asked at the same time.

"The Apocalypse," Michelle glanced up at them, her gaze flickering to Sam before going back to the book.

They both looked disbelieving for a moment before the words sunk in.

"The Apocalypse?" Dean asked.

"Yup," Bobby nodded.

"As in Apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-A-Gallon-Gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one."

"'The Rising of the Witnesses' is a mile marker," Michelle added.

"Ok, so…what do we do now?" Sam asked, making sure to look more at Bobby than Michelle.

"Road trip," Dean called, walking back to the table, and sitting down with his back to them, "Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience, Bunny Ranch..."

"First things first," Bobby began, getting Dean to turn in his seat to eye him, "How about we survive our friends out there?"

"Great," Dean rolled his eyes, "Any ideas besides staying in this room 'til Judgment Day?"

Michelle held up the second book, "It's a spell to send the witnesses back to rest."

Bobby looked down at it over her shoulder, reading it quickly and considering it, "Should work."

"Should?" Sam scoffed, "Heh. Great."

Bobby nodded, reading a bit more, "I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you've got everything we need here in this room?" Dean tried.

Bobby looked up at him, "So, you thought our luck was gonna start _now_ all of a sudden?"

Dean shrugged, he'd actually considered that. It seemed like, ever since Michelle had joined them, they had been having more luck on their hunts. He thought, maybe, that would start up again now that she was back.

Bobby walked to the other side of the room, to the weapon's cabinet, and began to get things out, "Spell's gotta be cast over an open fire."

"Fireplace in the library," Sam guessed.

"Bingo," Bobby nodded, tossing him a gun.

"This is not as appealing as a ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean commented, picking up a gun for himself. Sam could only agree. Dean glanced over at Michelle to see she was preparing her shotgun as well. He sighed, "See, _this_ is why I can't get behind God."

"What are you talking about?" Sam looked over from loading his weapon.

"All these ghosts, I mean, if he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason, just random, horrible, evil…I get it, ok. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's _wrong_ with him? Where the hell _is_ he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he _live_ with himself? You know, why doesn't he _help_?"

The only answer he got was Michelle cocking her gun and waiting by the door for them.

Bobby looked at the girl, confused and worried at her reaction. He could tell something was wrong, to him it looked like the girl was just barely keeping herself together.

"Cover each other," he instructed the boys, glancing at Michelle as he too walked towards the door, "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done or they'll shred you. Ready?"

He waited till the boys nodded their agreement to him before opening the door, Sam and Michelle standing ready with their weapons aimed. The basement was empty as they walked out, each aiming their weapons. They looked up at the top of the stairs but there was nothing there so they continued to move forward.

Just as Dean came around to walk in front of the stairs, a ghost, who Dean recognized as Roland Resnick, appeared at the top, looking down at them. Dean aimed his weapon but lowered it when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Dean," Roland smiled, "You remember me?"

"Ronald, huh?" Dean called, "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

Roland stood, "I'm dead becau…"

Before he could even finish Michelle had blasted him away. Dean turned back to see her staring at the top of the stairs with a hard expression on her face, "If you're gonna shoot, _shoot_. Don't talk," she started up the stairs.

"She's right," Bobby commented, following her.

As soon as they reached the top, Dean and Bobby ran for the fireplace, Bobby putting down his weapon while Sam proceeded to pour salt around them and Dean worked on the fire. Michelle stood outside the circle of salt, her gun trained and ready.

"Upstairs, linen closet," Bobby turned to Sam, who had just finished the line, "Red hex box. It'll be heavy."

"Got it," Sam said, rushing past Michelle, not even looking at her as he went to get the box.

"Bobby," another ghost appeared. Michelle whirled around and shot the girl before she could get another word out.

Bobby looked up at the voice and the shot before looking at Dean, "Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom," he flipped through the book, trying to find the ingredients needed.

"Hemlock, opium, wormwood," Michelle recited.

Dean stopped at the doorway to look at her and then Bobby for confirmation, "Opium?"

"Go!" Bobby shouting was all the incentive he needed as he ran out of the room.

Bobby began to draw the symbols needed for the spell when the two ghost girls appeared again.

"Bobby," the second one repeated.

He paused and looked up.

"You…" the first began, but they were both blown away by Michelle.

"You ok?" she asked, seeing the tears beginning to form in his eyes.

He nodded, clearing his throat, "I got this, go check on the boys."

She nodded and ran out of the room. The first brother she saw was Sam standing with his back to the door of the linen closet, lowering his weapon as a ghost talked to him.

She aimed carefully up the stairs and fired, blasting the ghost away. Sam looked over, giving her a small nod of thanks before grabbing the box and running down the stairs. She hurried towards the kitchen just as the doors that led to it slammed shut.

"Dean!" she could hear Bobby shout.

"I'm on it!" she called back. She braced herself and kicked in the door to see Henricksen confronting Dean, his arm in Dean's chest. She ran off to the side and fired, blasting him away and freeing Dean, who fell to the floor, "You alright?" she asked, rushing to his side and helping him up.

"No," he groaned, resting a hand on his chest.

She reached out and grabbed the ingredients off the counter and then grabbed Dean's arm, half-dragging him out, "Let's go!"

They ran out of the room and back to Bobby. She practically threw Dean over the salt line and into his brother as she turned back around to guard the room.

"You gunna join us in here?" Dean asked, still breathing heavily, handing Bobby the ingredients Michelle had shoved into his hand.

She didn't reply, just kept her back to them and her attention on the room.

Dean looked at Sam worriedly, but the latter looked away. He was about to turn to Bobby and ask for his help pulling the woman into the circle when Michelle spoke quietly, "Just finish the spell."

As soon as she finished speaking, Roland showed up again, sitting outside the salt line, "Roland, hey…" Dean began, actually flinching when Michelle shot the ghost to bits, "What was _that_ for?"

"What did I _say_ about _talking_ to them?" she spat out, the tone in her voice freezing any and all retorts he was about to give in his throat.

"Uh…not to?" he asked timidly, feeling like a little boy who'd just been scolded by his mother.

She gave him a terse nod and turned back around.

Bobby picked up a bowl with the supplies in it and began to start the chant in Latin. Suddenly the windows blew open and wind blasted into the house. Bobby tried to hold down the paper with the spell on it while the salt started to scatter in the wind.

"Dean!" Michelle called, spinning to the window, "Fix the salt! Sam, help Bobby!"

It was an order from a soldier and they sprang into action with Dean fixing the breaks in the line as fast as he could while Sam held down the papers for Bobby. Meg suddenly appeared, and Michelle shot her away, doing the same for Henricksen when he appeared next, and again with Meg.

Roland appeared and Michelle took care of him too. She continued to blast each and every ghost that appeared while the boys worked on the spell. How the hell she managed to reload the shotgun fast enough to take out multiple ghosts while shooting a smaller sawed-off shotgun in her other hand the boys would never know, Dean chocked it up to her training. He didn't really care as long as it kept them safe.

Suddenly, while all five ghosts were in the room, Bobby threw the bowl into the fire, turning it green and blue, causing it to flare up. A bright green light erupted from the fire and filled the entire room, disintegrating all the ghosts. Bobby, Dean, and Sam all fell to the floor, gasping for air from the exertion of trying to finished the ritual and not be attacked by ghosts.

Bobby looked up at Michelle, standing, tense, with her back to them, her shoulders heaving as she breathed heavily, her gun still at the ready. He pushed himself off the ground and walked over to her, conscious of the boys' eyes on him. He rested a hand on her left shoulder, she flinched at the physical contact and he pulled his hand away quickly, stepping to her other side so she could see it was him as he rested a hand on her back, "Michelle?" he asked gently, reaching out to lower her guns. He took them from her, dropping them to the floor, and leading her out of the room.

Dean glanced over at Sam, who looked just as confused and stunned by what they'd just survived and what happened after it to move. He looked back and forth between the door Bobby had just gone out of and his brother.

Sam sighed, "Go, I'll clean up in here."

"You sure?" Dean asked, not wanting to upset his brother by checking on his…ex-girlfriend it appeared.

"Yeah," he nodded, not looking at his brother as he did so.

At this point Dean couldn't really care if it affected his brother or not. There was clearly something wrong with Michelle. He didn't care if it seemed like Michelle had abandoned his brother in his time of need, something he still didn't believe she did, she was _back_, she had _saved_ them, and she was _hurting_. He got up and walked into the hallway in time to see Michelle and Bobby enter a guestroom and shut the door behind them. He walked over to it, twisting the handle enough to know it was locked, before pressing his ear to it. At first he heard nothing, but then he could hear Michelle burst into tears and sob, something he'd NEVER heard her do before, Bobby trying to shush her and comfort her. It wasn't some sort of broken-hearted 'my boyfriend's a jerk' cry, but a heart wrenching cry that spoke of enormous and unimaginable pain.

What the hell was going on?

~8~

That night, as Sam slept on the couch and Dean slept on the floor, a flapping noise could be heard. Dean rolled over, ignoring it, succeeding in falling asleep once more…until voices reached him. He slowly woke to see Castiel standing in the kitchen, leaning on the counter with Michelle sitting across from him, her head in her hands. He quickly stood up and made his way into the kitchen.

He picked up the iron fire poker on the way and walked in, raising it defensively, still not sure that the man was really an angel.

"Put that down Dean," Michelle said, her head still down but just _knowing_ how the man would likely react. When he didn't make a move she looked up, "Now."

He shook his head, "You don't know what this guy is and…"

"He's an angel Dean."

He eyed her, "How do you know?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "I can see _demons_, it sort of goes without saying that I can see _angels_ too."

"But your eyes aren't bleeding," he argued.

"She is one of the special people," Castiel defended, almost looking angry at Dean for doubting her.

"Castiel," Michelle interrupted, glancing at him, before turning her attention to Dean, "I don't see their true form when they're in their vessels. Right now I see the outline of his wings."

"How do you know his name is Castiel?" his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You didn't tell him?" Castiel turned to Michelle.

"No I didn't," she replied.

He stared at her a moment before tilting his head in confusion, "You don't wish for him to know?"

"No," she repeated, eyeing the angel meaningfully.

"Tell me what?" Dean shook his head, feeling lost, "Know what?"

"Nothing," Michelle looked down.

"Excellent job with the witnesses," Castiel remarked before Dean could question her more.

"You were hip to all this?" his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I was, uh, made aware," Castiel replied, glancing at Michelle.

Dean looked between the two for a moment. Normally he would lay it on and pull the information from one of them, but if this _was_ an angel, fat chance there. And, after today, he _couldn't_ do that to Michelle. He sighed inwardly, deciding to let it go...for now.

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance," Dean rolled his eyes at the man, "You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you didn't," Castiel remarked, "Michelle would not allow it."

Dean eyed Michelle, confused at why the angel thought she'd be able to do something, just because she had, how would he know, "I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos…you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."

"Read the Bible," Michelle sighed, rubbing her temples as a headache pounded away in her skull, she always got one after crying, "Angels are _warriors_ of God."

"I'm a soldier," Castiel nodded.

"Yeah?" Dean clearly did not believe that, "Then why didn't you_ fight_?"

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder," he glared at Dean, stepping just a bit closer to Michelle, "We had larger concerns."

"Concerns?" his eyebrows rose, "There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh? _If_ there is a God?"

"There's a God," both Michelle and Castiel replied at the same time.

"I'm not convinced. 'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the Earth? The freaking Apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works…" Castiel began when Dean interrupted.

"If you say 'in mysterious ways,' so help me, I will kick your ass," Castiel threw up his hands in surrender, drawing silence for a moment. Dean glanced over at Michelle, "So, Michelle here was right...about the witnesses. This is some kind of a...sign of the Apocalypse?"

Castiel nodded, "That's why we're here. Big things afoot."

"Do I wanna know what kind of things?" Dean asked, almost regretful.

"I sincerely doubt it."

"The 'Rising of the Witnesses' is one of the 66 seals," Michelle stated.

He looked at her, shocked at her knowledge, "Ok. I'm guessing that's not a show at SeaWorld."

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith," Castiel continued.

"Shit," Michelle shook her head.

"_She_ did the spell," Dean said in realization, "She rose the witnesses."

Castiel nodded, "And not just here. 20 other Hunters are dead."

"Damn it!" Michelle slumped.

"Of course," Dean shook his head, "She picked victims that the Hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us."

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor," Castiel remarked.

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest."

"It doesn't matter," Michelle sighed, looking up at him tiredly. It was then that he noticed the bags under the woman's eyes, it looked like she hadn't slept in quite a few days, "The seal was still broken."

"Why break the seal anyway?"

"Think of the seals as locks on a door."

"Ok," he nodded slowly, "Last one opens and..."

"Lucifer walks free," she deadpanned.

"Lucifer?" Dean's eyes widened. Castiel nodded as Dean shook his head, looking at Michelle, "How do you _know_ all this?"

Michelle nodded her head to the side, to a book lying on the counter, "You wouldn't _believe_ how many versions of the Bible and other lore I've read about this."

"No, Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday School," Dean argued, shaking his head in disbelief, "There's no such thing."

"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me," Castiel reminded him, "Why do you think we're here, walking among you now, for the first time in 2,000 years?"

"To stop Lucifer?" Dean guessed.

Castiel nodded, "It's why we've arrived."

"Well...bang up job so far," Dean replied sarcastically, "Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."

"We _tried_," Castiel defended, "There are other battles. Other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost," he walked around the counter to stand inches away from Dean, "Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here," he leaned closer, "You should show me some respect. Just because I didn't drag you out of the depths of Hell doesn't mean I can't throw you in there," he leaned back, "But you are lucky."

"Lucky?" Dean scoffed, stepping away from the angel, "How's that?"

"You have the favor of those who can stop me. I cannot harm you without disappointing her, and I would rather send myself to Hell than do that."

Castiel turned and nodded a goodbye at Michelle, offering her a small smile, before disappearing.

~8~

Dean woke up with a gasp, looking at the kitchen, where Sam was walking into the living room. He stood up, looking out the window to see Michelle and Bobby in the distance, talking. He rubbed a hand over his face while Sam put a shirt on, "You alright?" Sam asked, but Dean didn't answer, just looked out the window thoughtfully, "What's wrong, Dean?"

Dean looked over at him, "So…" he cleared his throat, "You got no problem believing in...God and angels?"

"No, not really," Sam shook his head.

"So, I guess that means that you believe in the devil?"

Sam stopped what he was doing and looked at Dean, "Why are you asking me all this?"

Dean shook his head before sighing, "You're never going to believe this one…"

A/N: Who else was hoping Michelle would come back? I hope her re-entrance to the story was fitting. She always seems to show up at the right time, right when the boys need her to save their backsides. And now we know, she can see angels as well as demons, we'll actually be learning a lot more about her in this story. But one thing we do know...something is deeply wrong with her...and doesn't that just bring up even more questions...

Where was she? What happened to her? Is she alright? How will things play out with Sam and her should she hunt with them again?

I guess we'll have to wait to find out :)


	4. In the Beginning

In the Beginning

"Now listen here ya idjits," Bobby said, arms crossed, standing before the boys as they finished loading up the trunk of the Impala with their stuff and Michelle's, the girl in question in the house choosing books to bring with her, "I don't wanna hear any shit from either of you about Michelle going back to hunting with you."

The boys were silent as the man glared at them. Dean had no problems with this, but, looking at his brother, he could see the younger man was conflicted. His anger at Michelle seemed to have ebbed away the moment she took out the ghosts and defended them, but the anger at himself for letting that go so easily would just lead him to lash out at the girl and Dean wasn't sure she'd outlast his brother's temper tantrum. He could tell his brother was struggling between strangling the girl and wanting to bear hug her and never let her go, and the fact that he felt that second emotion was only going to fuel the anger of the first.

"You don't know what she's been through," Bobby continued, "She had to hitch rides from Kentucky just to get here in time to help..."

Dean frowned, "What was she doing in Kentucky?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Not the point," he wasn't about to tell them that the angels had a hand in her appearance, that that 'holy tax accountant' Castiel had told her the boys were in danger, "Point is, you DON'T know where she's been or what she's been doing these past few months..."

"And you do?" Sam asked darkly.

"Damn right I do! And I don't want you two poking into her business. If she wants to tell you, she will."

"Got it," Dean nodded, promising for himself and his brother.

Bobby glanced back at the house, seeing Michelle standing up in his office, about to leave, before turning back to the boys, "I'm warning the both of ya, if I hear _one_ negative word out of that girl's mouth about you boys, I will be on your ass like a hemorrhoid. I will hunt you down and give you the biggest ass whooping of your lives."

The boys swallowed at that, Bobby was an intimidating force to be reckoned with.

Just then Michelle walked up to them, "Are you sure you're ok with keeping some of my stuff here Bobby?" she asked, her voice still a bit hoarse.

"Ain't no problem at all," he reassured her, giving her a hug before sending her off with the boys. He watched as she hesitated on which side to get into the car on, usually getting in on Sam's side but now not so sure. Dean seemed to notice and nodded her over to his side. She smiled gratefully and got in quickly.

~8~

They drove for a few hours, tense, no one speaking much as Dean's music played over the speakers. It wasn't until night had fallen that the first words were spoken.

"I don't know about you two," Dean said, pulling up to a motel, "But I'm about ready to keel over."

"Me too," Sam yawned.

Michelle nodded, getting out on Dean's side as he parked the car.

"I'll go get the rooms," Sam continued, "You can get the stuff out."

"I uh…" Michelle started, but hesitated when the brothers turned to look at her, she looked down, "I think I'll get another room."

"What?" Dean asked, looking at her.

She looked up and glanced at Sam before turning back to Dean.

He nodded slowly, understanding what she was saying. She and Sam usually shared a bed, fat chance now. And he didn't think Sam would react too nicely to her sharing a bed with Dean. But that still left the couch…

Sam nodded and walked off towards the main office to get a room for him and his brother, leaving Michelle and Dean alone, "You uh, don't want the couch?" Dean asked.

She frowned, "It's hard enough being in a car with Sam for hours on end, I don't think he'd like me being in the same room too."

"Mickey…" Dean began, shaking his head.

"And anyway," she continued, looking around the parking lot so as not to look at him, missing his frown at how she hadn't commented on or hit him for using that nickname, "I've, uh, been having nightmares recently…don't want to wake you guys up."

"Nightmares?" his brows furrowed. It didn't look like she'd slept all that much and he knew from experience with Sam that she was probably not going to sleep at all to try and avoid them.

She nodded, before walking off towards the main office. He followed her path to see Sam walking back towards him, though Sam's head turned to watch her, his steps slowing till he was standing in the middle of the parking lot, looking after her.

Dean sighed, this was going to be a _long_ trip.

~8~

Michelle was sitting in the dark, on top of the bed, just staring down at the comforter in thought. She'd told Bobby _everything_, where she'd been, what she'd done, why she'd come back, everything that had happened. She hadn't had any time to really absorb what had happened to her until Bobby had taken her guns from her after putting the witnesses to rest and led her from the room. She'd gotten a good cry that night and Bobby had done his best to comfort her until she could speak without sobbing.

It had been...nice...to have someone worry about her like that. Ever since her parents had died, oh, going on six years now, she'd been alone, and then she'd found the Winchesters last year, and then she'd lost them. Bobby had always been like a pseudo-father to her, and now she knew he really _cared_ about her. She felt like she was safe enough in his house to start processing what had happened, much like she was doing now, just sorting through memories and sensations.

She heard a door shut next to her. Knowing the next room over was Sam and Dean, she got up and walked over to the window. She pulled the curtains away just enough to see Sam walking towards the parking lot and getting in a car with a brunette demon, one she recognized as Ruby.

She swallowed hard, she could just imagine how deeply Ruby had sunk her claws into Sam since she and Dean had been gone. It was her largest regret.

She looked up, hearing a high-pitched note ring out from the radio clock by the bed and turned around to see Castiel standing there. She took a breath and let it out, walking over to him. He held out his hand, a silently plea for her trust, and she took it, appearing moments later with him in Dean's room. She walked over to Dean's bedside and leaned over, shaking him awake. He sat up quickly, his leather jacket falling to his lap at the movement.

"Oh God Michelle!" Dean shouted, seeing it was her, he let out a breath, "How'd you get here?"

"Hello Dean," Castiel called, answering the question.

Dean turned to see Castiel standing at the foot of his bed, "What, do you get your freak on by watching other people sleep?" he glared at the angel, "What do you want?"

"Listen to me, you have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

Castiel raised his right hand and put two fingers on Dean's forehead. The next thing he knew, he was laying down on a bench in a park during the day.

"Move it buddy, you can't sleep here," a police officer ordered, waving his baton around.

"Understood officer," Michelle answered. Dean jumped up, seeing her sitting next to him on the bench.

The officer nodded and walked away. Dean looked around, slowly getting up and reaching into his jacket where his father's journal was stashed. He pulled out his cell phone and tried to make a call.

"It won't work," Michelle commented, watching him from the bench.

"Perfect," he snapped the phone shut, seeing he was getting no signal, and turned to face her, "Where are we?"

She just shrugged, "Castiel doesn't really give away a lot does he?"

Dean rolled his eyes, when a classic car drove by with southern rock music coming from the speakers. Dean eyed it curiously and held out a hand to help Michelle up, leading her across the street to 'Jay Bird's Diner.'

They walked in just as 'Ramblin' Man' by the Allman Brothers began to play. Dean looked around for a moment before taking a seat at the counter, next to a young, dark-haired man, Michelle sitting next to him.

"Hey," Dean leaned over to the man, "Where the hell am I?"

"Jay Bird's Diner," the man replied, eyeing Dean as though he were insane.

"Sorry," Michelle leaned forward so the man could see her on the other side of Dean, "We've been driving for a while and just pulled in here on a whim, didn't even notice what city we're in."

The young man smiled, nodding his head in understanding, "Lawrence, Kansas."

"Thank you," Michelle gave a small smile back.

"Lawrence…" Dean trailed, looking away, in shock. This was his hometown!

"Hey, you ok buddy?" the man asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, tough night," Dean nodded, "Like she said, been driving a while."

"Hey, uh, coffee here Reg," the man called to the man behind the bar.

"Ok, coming right up," Reg replied.

Dean pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, "Can you, uh, tell me where I can get reception on this thing?" he asked the young man.

The man chucked, "The U.S.S. Enterprise?"

Dean raised an eyebrow as Michelle began to look around. Reg walked over, dressed in 70s garb, and placed two coffees before Dean and Michelle.

"Thanks...nice threads," Dean eyed him, "You know Sonny and Cher broke up right?"

"Sonny and Cher broke up?" the young man looked confused.

"Dean," Michelle called softly, drawing his attention. She slid a newspaper that was lying on the counter over to him and pointed to the date, "April 30, _1973_."

Dean's eyes widened at that bit of information, just when someone shouted, "Hey Winchester!"

Dean was about to turn and see who had called him, when Michelle reached out and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

Surprisingly, the man next to Dean turned around and shook hands with the man who had called out.

"Son of a bitch, how you doing Corporal?" the man asked.

"Hey Mr. D." the young Winchester replied.

"I heard you were back."

"Yeah, a little while now."

"Good to have you home John, damn good," Mr. D. patted him on the back.

Dean looked stunned and, had it not been for Michelle's hand on his shoulder, he was sure he would have fallen off the stool. There, sitting right next to him, was his father, at age 19.

"Dad…" he whispered quietly to himself, he glanced over at Michelle, who was smiling slightly, before looking back at his father, still talking with Mr. D.

"Well, say hello to your old man for me," Mr. D. continued, walking off.

"You got it, Mr. D!" John called after him, turning back to his paper, not noticing Dean staring blankly at him. A moment later he looked up at Dean, "Do we know each other?"

Dean swallowed, looking nervously back at Michelle, who shook her head, "I guess not."

John looked at them a second while Dean sipped his coffee, before shrugging and getting up, "Take it easy."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, watching him.

"You too," Michelle added.

The two watched him over their shoulders, looking back at their coffees when John turned to glance at them a moment at the door. Michelle subtly looked over to see John squinting as though he might come back over, but instead turned and left.

Dean waited a beat before getting up and following after his father, Michelle at his side. They saw him walking down the street and began to follow, trying not to do so too closely, to avoid suspicion. Just as they turned a corner, they ran straight into Castiel.

"What _is_ this?" Dean demanded.

"What does it look like?" Castiel cocked his head to the side.

"Is it real?"

"Very."

"Ok, so what?" Dean said, getting frustrated, "Angels got their hands on some Deloreans? How did we get here?"

"Time is fluid Dean," Castiel said, as though it explained everything.

Dean looked at Michelle for a better explanation, she seemed to know a little something about angels.

Michelle sighed, "It's not easy but, on occasion, angels can bend time."

Dean turned to Castiel, "Well bend it back or tell me what the hell we're doing here!"

"I told you, you have to stop it," Castiel stated.

"Stop what?" Michelle eyed the man.

"What, is there something nasty after my dad?" Dean assumed. A car horn blared and Dean turned around to check it out, but when he turned back around Castiel was gone, "Oh, come on! What are you, allergic to straight answers you son of a bitch?"

"Dean," Michelle reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt a bit calmer, but not by much.

~8~

They managed to find John talking to a car salesman a few minutes later, thankful that he hadn't gotten that far, "A fine young man like yourself, just starting out? How about I take off another 250?"

John seemed to be considering the VW Van he was standing beside, "Let's do it."

Michelle almost laughed at the sight of Dean blanching at the thought.

"I'll get the paperwork," the salesman walked off.

John walked over to the front of the van and started looking at it, rubbing the headlights.

"That's _not_ the one you want," Dean called, walking over to lean on a 1967 Black Chevy Impala with Michelle.

"You following me?" John joked, walking over to them.

"No, no, I was just passing by," he glanced at Michelle and nodded towards her, "She wanted to thank you for that cup of coffee this morning and I wanted to apologize, I was a little out of it."

"More than a little," John smiled.

"He was driving all night," Michelle shook her head, playing along with their previous lie, "I kept telling him to let me drive but, you know boys and their toys."

"Boy do I," John laughed.

Dean smiled, "Let me make it up to you," he tapped the hood of the Impala, "This is the one you want."

"Oh yeah?" John looked at it, "You…you know something about cars?"

Dean nodded, looking nostalgically at John, "Yeah...yeah, my dad taught me everything I know..."

John started to look a bit uncomfortable with Dean's gaze so Michelle turned and shook his shoulder, "Dean…"

He shook himself out of it, "And this…this is a _great_ car," he opened the hood and leaned in, inviting Michelle and John to do the same, "327 four barrel, 275 horses. A little TLC this thing is cherry."

John seemed to be considering it, and slowly started nodding, "You know man, you're right."

Dean looked up and nodded at the van, "Then what are you buying that thing for?"

John actually seemed to be almost blushing, "I kinda promised someone I would."

"Over a '67 Chevy?" Dean's eyes widened, "I mean, come on, this is the car of a _lifetime_. Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's 40."

John smiled, now_ definitely_ considering it, "John Winchester, thanks," he held out a hand for Dean and Michelle.

"Dean Van Halen," Dean smiled, shaking his hand as well, "And this is…"

"Your lovely girlfriend?" John smirked, taking Michelle's hand as well.

Michelle's smile became a bit sad, "No, I'm just a friend. Uh, Michelle…Mitchells."

"Sorry," John smiled embarrassedly but Michelle just shook it off.

"Uh…I was in pretty rough shape this morning, huh?" Dean asked, trying to change the awkward topic.

"No kidding," John remarked, as thankful for the change as Michelle was.

"Like Michelle said, I was real tired, couldn't really rest though, I was getting chills in that diner," Dean shook his head, "You didn't feel any of those cold spots did you?"

"Dean…" Michelle began.

"Nope," John answered.

Dean shook his head, trying to be casual about his questions, "I swore I smelled something weird too you know? Like…like rotten eggs...you didn't happen to smell any sulfur by chance?"

"Dean," Michelle tried again.

"No," John shook his head.

"No...there been any cattle mutilations in town recentl…"

"Dean!" Michelle half-shouted, only to be cut off by John.

"Ok, mister!" John stepped back, "Stop it."

Honestly, what was _with_ Winchester men not_ listening_ to her when she tried to tell them something. Clearly this man knew_ nothing_ about hunting.

"Yeah, if only I knew what to stop," Dean muttered to himself, "Listen...uh, watch out for yourself ok?"

John looked at Dean, confused, but nodded slowly, if only to placate him, "Yeah, sure."

Dean pointed to the Impala and tapped the hood before walking off with Michelle, John just watching them as they left.

~8~

If John thought he'd gotten rid of Dean, he was sorely mistaken as Dean and Michelle followed behind him in another car, watching as John pulled up to a house in his new Impala. A moment later a blonde girl came out of the house and ran across the lawn to John as he got out of the car to greet her.

All Dean needed was to hear John call her 'Mary' before his jaw dropped open, "Mom?"

After that, Dean was not about to let either one of them out of his sight, especially Mary. They followed the couple to a diner.

"Because this isn't creepy or suspicious at all," Michelle commented as they lurked outside, watching Mary and John sitting in a booth.

"Shh!" Dean hissed at her before muttering to himself, "Sammy, wherever you are, mom is a_ babe_...I'm going to Hell...again."

Michelle shook her head as they watched the couple discuss something before Mary excused herself. Dean's eyes widened as John pulled out a small, red, velvet box with an engagement ring inside.

"Oh my God," Dean breathed, staring. He turned around and walked towards the car to lean on it.

"Dean," Michelle hissed, nodding towards the very angry Mary walking towards them.

"Why are you following us?" she demanded, not even waiting for an answer before kneeing Dean in the stomach and throwing him against a metal fence next to the building behind them.

"Are you crazy?" Dean groaned.

She went to punch him but Michelle reached out and twisted her around, ducking the next punch. Dean reached out and grabbed Mary's arms, trying to get her to stop fighting.

"You've been trailing us since my house!" she shouted, pulling away.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Dean began.

"Really?" Mary glared, kneeing him in the stomach again and moving to punch him once more. Michelle sighed and twisted the woman's arm behind her back, pressing her into the fence behind them.

"Ok, how about we _talk _about this, huh?" Dean gasped, trying to get his breath back.

"Let me go!" Mary struggled as Dean came over to them.

"Dean," Michelle said suddenly, holding up Mary's charm bracelet in her hand.

"Give that back!" Mary shouted, shoving Michelle back and turning to face them.

Michelle looked down at the bracelet, seeing the protective markings on it, and tossed it to Dean, who looked at it, stunned, "Are you a Hunter?" he asked, shocked.

Mary just looked him up and down, confused, before looking at Michelle, Dean still in shock.

~8~

Mary had given them her address and told them to meet her outside of her house while she went back to John. They did as she said, hiding behind a bush while the couple said goodnight. As soon as the man drove off, they popped out, both smiling at Mary's love-struck smile when she watched John turn the corner.

"Dean right?" she glanced at them, "And Michelle?" they nodded, "I'm not sure you should come in…"

"You can trust us," Michelle promised.

"I mean, come on, we're all Hunters right?" Dean asked, desperate to see his mother's family, "I mean, we're…we're practically family."

Mary looked at him curiously, but shook her head, "Yeah, thing is, my dad, he's a little um..."

"Oh, I _gotta_ meet him," Dean smirked.

"You've heard of him?" Mary raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly not enough."

Mary sighed and led them into the house and over to her father sitting in a chair, not even looking up when his daughter told him they were Hunters.

"So, you're a Hunter?" Samuel, Dean's grandfather, asked, "Well, tell me something, you kill vampires with wooden stakes or silver."

Dean chuckled, "Neither, you cut their heads off."

Mary smiled, knowing what her father was trying to do, test them to make sure.

"So, did I pass your test?" Dean smirked.

Samuel put his book down and glanced at them, frowning, "Demons," he continued, "Dislike holy water and what?"

"Salt," Michelle answered, "And they flinch at the invocation of God, but only if it's used in the original Latin, Christo."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed, "You passed," he shut the book, tossed it on the table next to his chair, and glared at them, "Now get out of my house, I don't…"

"Dad!" Mary shouted.

"I don't trust other Hunters. Don't want their help, don't want them around my family."

Dean's grandmother, Deana, chose that moment to interrupt, "Knock it off Samuel!" she called as she set the table.

"They're _Hunters_," Samuel said, as though it explained his behavior.

"Who passed your little pop quiz, and now I am inviting them to dinner," Deana replied, walking into the room and smiling at the duo, "Are you two kids hungry?"

"Starving," Dean smiled.

Deana stepped forward to shake their hands, "Good, I'm Deana, you've met my husband, Samuel."

"Dean Van Halen," Dean introduced himself, taking her hand.

"Michelle Mitchells," Michelle smiled.

"Michelle," Deana commented, "That's a lovely name for a lovely girl. Was your mother a 'Michelle' too?"

"Thank you ma'am. I was actually named after my father."

"Your father?" Dean eyed her.

"His father was French," she explained, rolling her eyes, "His middle name was Michelle."

"My mother was half-French," Dean remarked offhandedly, "Now wash up for dinner."

"Thank you ma'am," Michelle said politely as the woman went back to setting the table. Noticing the names of Mary's parents, she turned to Dean, "_Sam_uel and _Dean_a?"

"Time to eat!" Deana called, motioning for Dean and Michelle to join them in the dining room. They walked over, being given seats next to each other on one side of the table, Mary across from them with Samuel and Deana on either end, Samuel by Dean.

"First time in Lawrence?" Deana smiled at them as they settled down to eat.

"Well, it's been a while," Dean smiled at her, "Things sure have changed...I think."

"You working a job?" Samuel asked.

Dean glanced at Michelle, "Yeah, maybe."

"What's that mean?" Samuel's eyes narrowed.

"It means I don't trust other Hunters either, Samuel," Dean remarked.

"Hey, so why were you following me and John?" Mary asked Michelle, sensing that she might be able to relieve the tension.

"We thought something was after your boyfriend," Michelle answered without hesitation, only Dean knew she was lying, and if he hadn't known the truth already he probably would have believed her too, "But we're not too sure about that."

"John Winchester mixing it up with spirits, can you imagine?" Deana chuckled.

Dean raised an eyebrow, he was still trying to understand how his _mom_ was from a family of Hunters while his _dad_ wasn't, yet his dad was a kickass Hunter later in life.

"I saw that," Mary said suddenly, glaring at her father.

"What?" Samuel asked.

"That sour lemon look."

"Now hold on, John's a really...really...nice...naive civilian."

"So what?" Mary nodded at Dean, growing frustrated, "You'd rather me be with a guy like_ this_?"

Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, becoming very, _very _uncomfortable, "What? No, no, no. No!"

"Mary, of course not, it's just I…" Samuel tried.

"That's enough, both of you, we have company," Deana said firmly.

"So what about you Samuel," Michelle changed the topic, "You working a job?"

"Might be," Samuel replied, a bit more polite than his terse responses with Dean.

"He's working a job on the Whitshire Farm," Mary sighed.

Samuel gave her a hard look as Dean cleared his throat, he was clearly not expecting his mother's family to be quite this serious or suspicious.

"Whitshire, why does…why does that name sound familiar to me?" Dean asked himself.

"Well, it's been all over the papers," Samuel explained, "Tom Whitshire got tangled up in a combine a few towns over."

"That kind of thing happens," Dean shrugged.

"So why was he on it in the first place when his crops are all dead?"

"Demonic omens," Michelle answered.

"That's what I gotta find out."

"What about the rest of the town?"

"Did you find anything on the web?" Dean tried to help.

"19_73_," Michelle leaned over and hissed quickly.

"...of information that you have assembled," Dean corrected, remembering the internet hadn't been invented.

"Electrical storms maybe, the weather service graphs should be here on Friday," Deana answered.

"By_ mail_?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"No, we hired a jet liner to fly 'em to us overnight," Samuel rolled his eyes.

"1973," Michelle repeated quietly to him.

Dean laughed, trying to cover up for himself, "You know, it sounds to me like we might be hunting the same thing. You know if we go in there in numbers, we could take care of this thing real quick."

"What part of 'we work alone' do you not understand son?" Samuel gave him a hard look.

~8~

"Where's your friend?" Mary asked the next day as she led Dean away from young Charlie Whitshire, Tom's son, who claimed a mysterious stranger had come to the farm the day his father had died.

"She's checking out the machinery for any sign of spirits at work," Dean answered, looking up as Michelle came walking over to them quickly.

"No signs of spirit activity," she told them, "I wish we had an EMF to be sure."

"EMF?" Mary eyed them. They just shook their heads at her. Mary sighed and glanced back at Charlie, "What do you think?"

"I think he just pimped his soul to a demon and doesn't even know it," Dean replied.

"Crossroads Demon?" Michelle asked him, but Dean could only shrug.

Mary turned and headed back to Charlie, Dean and Michelle following after her, "Charlie, do you remember what this stranger looked like?"

"Yeah, he was about 5'10", white, normal looking really," Charlie answered.

"Anything else?" Michelle asked.

"There was one thing…"

"What?" Dean knelt down.

"It's just…the light hit his eyes in a weird way and...for a moment I coulda sworn…" Charlie shook his head.

"What?"

"That they were black?" Mary asked.

"Or red maybe?" Michelle continued.

He eyed them strangely, "No, they were yellow, pale yellow."

Mary looked at Michelle and Dean as they stiffened considerably, fear evident in their eyes.

~8~

Dean hadn't taken 'no' for an answer when he insisted they all head back to Mary's house after hearing that Azazel might be in the area. Samuel hadn't been too keen to be ordered about but when Michelle quietly asked him to listen to Dean...there was something about the girl that made him listen.

Dean slammed a map down on the dining room table as Deana chopped up bananas in the kitchen and Samuel paced back and forth with Mary in another room, Michelle sitting at the table, looking at the map.

"What do you say we just slow down and talk this thing through," Samuel suggested.

"There's nothing to _talk_ about," Dean nearly growled.

"Except you're saying it's a demon. None of us has ever heard of a demon with _yellow _eyes."

"And barely any Hunters have heard of a Tatzlwurm," Michelle countered, looking up at him, "But it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"It doesn't," Samuel argued, never having even heard of the creature before.

Michelle scoffed, "You ever lose a child in the Alpine mountains of Bavaria?" he didn't answer, "Were you ever the child that was lost?" she sighed, that had been a lesson and a half, never wander too far away from your parents without a gun, "I've heard of this demon, so has Dean."

"This thing killed my family," Dean told them.

"And it tried to kill mine."

"Look, both of you need to calm down," Samuel instructed.

"You don't _get_ it do you?" Dean shouted at the man, "You are in _danger_, we are _all_ in danger. In fact, you need to get yourself someplace safe."

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here."

"Sam's right, Dean," Deana argued, bringing in a bowl of fruit, "It could be a demon, it could be a shape shifter, it could be any number of things…"

"But it's _not_," Michelle insisted, "It's _Azazel_ and he won't stop until he's killed. You don't know what he's capable of."

"I _do_," Dean admitted, "And I'm gonna kill it, that's all the talking I need to do."

"You're gonna _kill_ a demon?" Samuel raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"Powerful exorcisms," Michelle listed, "Special knives and other weapons designed to kill demons."

Dean nodded, "There's a Hunter named Daniel Elkins, he lives in Colorado, he has Colt's gun. _The_ Colt."

"Yeah, I heard about the Colt, used to tell it to Mary as a bedtime story," Samuel nodded.

"Well, it's real."

Michelle saw Samuel shoot Deana a look, they clearly didn't know what to think, "Alright, say that it is," Samuel supposed, "You got some kind of crystal ball telling you where this demon's gonna be?"

"Yeah, maybe I do," Dean remarked, pulling out his father's journal and flipping it open to the pages about Azazel.

"What's this?" Samuel leaned over to look at it.

"It's a list."

"Of what?"

"My dad wrote down anyone he thought ever came in contact with the yellow-eyed demon, who, where, and when."

"Why?"

"You don't know how many lives Azazel will destroy," Michelle commented, before closing her eyes and rubbing her head, "How many he'll continue to destroy even after he's dead."

"The more he could learn about the son of a bitch, the more he could figure out why it killed my mom," Dean added, flipping a page or two, "Look…Whitshire farm. I told you that name sounded familiar."

"Whitshire farm, that was two days ago, how the hell is _that_ on your dad's list?" Samuel was a bit startled.

"Dean's dad was a gifted psychic," Michelle answered, coming up with a plausible excuse for their line of life, "His visions of the future were damn near accurate almost all the time."

Dean nodded, smiling at her gratefully for the cover story, before pointing down at a passage, "Looks at this, it says he's gonna hit here, tomorrow night."

"Liddy Walsh," Samuel read.

"Haleyville, that's close."

"I mean, yeah, it's about three miles, but..." Samuel shook his head, looking back at his wife. She shook her head at the whole story, they were still very skeptical.

"I know it sounds crazy," Michelle began, catching their looks, "But we're all Hunters, somewhere in your gut you _know_ it's a demon, and if there's any way we're going to stop it, we'll need your help."

"I know where this bastard's gonna be," Dean closed the journal and picked up his stuff, "And I'm gonna stop it, once and for all, with or without you."

Michelle got up and left the room with Dean, shooting the couple an apologetic smile.

She didn't have to get far before she saw Dean standing in a doorway, watching Mary. She stepped up to him, taking his hand and squeezing it for reassurance. He looked down at her, feeling a bit better, and cleared his throat.

Mary looked up, smiling when she saw who it was.

"I uh, we…we're shoving off," Dean told her, "Just wanted to say bye."

"Really?" she stood up, walking over to them, not sure how she felt about that or why, "So soon?"

"Job to do," Michelle answered.

"Hey, I wanted to…tell you, you know for what it's worth," Dean said after a moment, "Um...it doesn't matter what your dad thinks, I like that John kid."

Michelle smiled softly at the happy look that came on to Mary's face and the subtle tears that just barely appeared in Dean's eyes.

"You do?" Mary looked, hopeful.

"I think you two are meant to be," Michelle added.

"I'm depending on it," Dean muttered to himself. Michelle elbowed him in the stomach, earning a confused look from Mary, "Can I ask you a question?" Dean said suddenly, trying to cover for himself. Mary nodded. "What's he like? John."

"Why do you ask?" Mary tilted her head.

"Just curious," Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, um...he's sweet, kind," she smiled, getting lost in her thoughts, "Even after the war, after _everything_, he still believes in happily ever after you know? He's everything a Hunter isn't," her eyes widened as she realized she _was_ talking to two Hunters, "No offense."

"None taken," Dean smirked as Michelle waved her off.

Mary sighed, "Can I tell _you_ something?" he nodded and she looked around for her father before excitement took over, "He's gonna ask me to marry him. Tomorrow I think!"

"Yeah?" Dean smiled.

"That's wonderful," Michelle reached out and hugged the woman for a moment.

"Oh, dad's gonna explode," Mary continued, pulling away from the hug, "But I don't care. I'll run away if I have to, I just…I _love_ John and..."

"And what?" Dean asked as she trailed off.

"I wanna get out. This job, this life, I _hate_ it," Dean's eyes widened at the information, "I want a family, I wanna be _safe_."

Michelle squeezed Dean's hand again, seeing the tears welling in his eyes.

"You know the worst thing I can think of?" Mary continued, not noticing how emotional Dean was getting, "The very worst thing? Is for my children to be raised into this like I was."

"Really?" Michelle asked, thoughtful, "I would_ love_ for my kids to be raised as Hunters."

"To give up their whole lives, to nearly die every other night?" Mary argued with her, not even allowing Michelle a word in otherwise, "No, I won't let it happen."

Dean nodded, blinking back tears, "Yeah..."

"Hey, are you ok?" Mary eyed him, concerned.

"Yeah, no I'm…I'm fine," Dean took a breath, "Hey, uh, Mary, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Even if this sounds really weird…will you promise me that you will remember?"

"Ok," she promised.

"Dean…" Michelle began.

"No, it's ok," Dean turned to her, before looking back at his mother, "On November 2nd, 1983, don't get out of bed," Mary looked confused, especially when Dean barely managed to hold back his tears, "No matter what you hear, or what you see..." the tears began to fall, "Promise me you _won't_ get out of bed."

Dean was so shaken up at this point that he wasn't able to say another word. Michelle reached out and put an arm around him, offering as much support as she could.

"Ok," Mary agreed, nodding at his plea, confusing as it was.

Dean let out a breath, wiping his face of tears and smiling at her, before he allowed Michelle to lead him out of the house.

"Sam just got the best of both worlds, didn't he?" Michelle asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, hating seeing Dean in so much pain. Having to confront his mother, knowing she would die in the future, that Azazel would kill her...it had to be hard.

"What do you mean?" Dean glanced at her.

"He's got your dad's hunting skills and your mom's desire to be normal," she smiled at him, seeing him realizing the same thing and laughed.

~8~

Seeing how upset Dean was, Michelle insisted on driving that night. He'd refused wholeheartedly, but when he realized she'd pick pocketed the keys off him, he couldn't really argue. So he found himself sitting in the passenger's seat while Michelle drove the car down the road.

Dean was looking around, out the window, before turning to look at Michelle, when something caught his eye and he jumped, seeing Castiel in the backseat.

"Hey Cas," Michelle greeted, not even flinching at the sudden appearance.

Dean put a hand over his heart, trying to slow it down, "So what? God's our backseat driver in this?" Castiel just looked at him, not understanding the reference, "Well, you're a regular Chatty Kathy. Tell me something, Sam would have wanted in on this, why not bring him back too?"

"You had to do this alone, Dean," Castiel answered.

"Et hem?" Michelle cleared her throat.

"You had to do this without Sam, Dean," Castiel corrected.

"And you don't care that he's tearing up the future looking for us right now?" Dean asked.

"_You_, maybe," Michelle said quietly, though Dean could hear the hurt in her voice.

"Sam's not looking for you," Castiel informed him, "Either of you."

"Alright, if I do this, then the family curse breaks right?" Dean changed the subject, "Mom and dad live happily ever after, and…and…Sam and I grow up playing little league and chasing tail?"

"You realize, if you _do_ alter the future, your father, you, Sam, you'll never become Hunters," Castiel responded.

"And all those people you saved," Michelle shook her head in understanding, "They'll _die_."

"I realize," Dean swallowed thickly.

"And you don't care?" Castiel tilted his head.

"Oh, I care," Dean told him, "I care a lot, but these are my _parents_, I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't, no, not if I can stop it," he looked over at Castiel to see that he had disappeared.

~8~

Michelle was more than a little peeved at not going with Dean to get the Colt, he'd made her stay in the car, saying that if he got shot or something, she'd need to get the Colt instead. He'd come back with it, looking a bit pleased with himself that he was able to pull it off, and they were off.

They pulled up to the Walsh's residence, only to see Samuel's car in the driveway, meaning he, and probably Mary, were already inside.

"Shit!" Dean shouted, getting out of the car and running towards the house.

"Dean!" Michelle called, pointing towards the back of the house, Dean nodded and they split up.

He kicked the front door open and ran inside, the Colt drawn. He was about to check the first room he came to when he heard something shatter upstairs. He raced up it and saw a light on in a room down the hall.

"Mary!" he heard Samuel yell, that was all he needed to kick in the door.

There was Azazel, holding Mary in front of him as a shield, "You let her go," Dean demanded. Azazel looked at the gun Dean was holding, actually looking scared at that, all cockiness that had been on his face moments ago disappearing.

"Where'd you get that gun?" Azazel snarled.

Dean cocked it and pointed it at the demon, who only chuckled at the fact that he couldn't be shot, not with Mary in front of him. Dean was looking around, trying to find a way to get Mary out of the demon's arms, when something caught his eye out of the window. He could see Michelle climbing onto the back balcony, the doors broken open from the previous fight. He saw her pull her knife and nodded at her.

Suddenly she surged forward, stabbing Azazel in the back, forcing him to throw Mary aside. Unfortunately, he was aware that he was now in firing range for the Colt and immediately fled out of his host in a large black cloud, flying into the vent in the ceiling.

Michelle went to Mary's side and helped her up as Dean dropped his arm, "Damn…" he muttered.

~8~

Samuel and Michelle were coming out of the house just as Dean and Mary were having a conversation on the Walsh's front lawn.

"Liddy's strong," Michelle placed a hand on Mary's shoulder, knowing she was worried for her friend, "She'll be fine."

"Are you ok?" Samuel turned to Mary.

"No, dad, I'm pretty _far_ from ok, can we go?" she asked, turning to walk towards their truck, very upset.

Dean watched her go, concern etched on his face.

"Nice job in there," Samuel complimented.

"I missed the shot," Dean sighed.

"Take the compliment son, I'm saying that I was wrong about you."

Dean looked at him and then at Mary and back, "We need to talk, alone."

"I'll look after her," Michelle said, walking towards the truck so the other two could take the rental.

~8~

Michelle was beyond pissed at herself.

Mary had requested they stop at Jay Bird's Diner, something about their coffee being the best thing that calmed her nerves. Understanding how freaked she was, Michelle had agreed. She parked the truck and went to the diner with the woman to get a coffee for both of them. Mary had seen John there and went to go talk to him, to check that the demon hadn't gone after him while Michelle ordered the coffee. Just as she turned back around she saw Mary pulling John out the door. She dropped a five on the counter and ran out after them, only to see them driving away in John's car.

She ran to the truck but lost them.

Freaking out a bit at how Dean would take this, she hightailed it back to Mary's house where she knew Dean and Samuel were talking, probably about Azazel and Mary in the future.

She ran into the house, hearing voices coming from the kitchen, "Right here, the list," she heard Dean say.

"And with the Colt?" Samuel asked.

She could hear a thump on the table where Dean must have put the gun down, "Yeah."

"Here, let me see it," Samuel requested.

She turned the corner just as she saw Dean move his hand towards his father's journal.

"NO!" she shouted, rushing forward and grabbing the journal away, "It's him!"

Dean stood up quickly and reached for the Colt but before he could grab it, Azazel, his eyes flashing yellow in Samuel's body, flung out his hand, sending Dean flying back into the next room and into a bookshelf, pinning him there. Michelle lurched forward and the demon did the same to her.

"Future kids huh?" Azazel asked them

"You_ told_ him?" Michelle demanded.

"He wasn't a demon when we left the Walsh's was he?" Dean defended, "How was I supposed to know?"

Azazel stood up and walked over to them, "I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places. So, I kill your mommy? That's why you came all the way here? To see little old me?"

"Oh, I came here to _kill_ you," Dean glared.

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your mommy, are you...are you one of my psychic kids?" Azazel's eyes widened in curiosity as he leaned forward to sniff around Dean's face and ear. Dean turned his face away, disgusted, "No, not you…" he turned to eye Michelle, sniffing her as well, before taking a step back, "Not you either. Maybe you got a sis, or a bro…" Dean turned back to glare at him, earning a smirk from the demon, "That's terrific, means it all worked out. After all, it's why I'm here."

"So that's what this is about, these deals you're making, you don't want these people's souls."

"No, I just want their children. I'm here to choose the perfect parents, like your mommy."

"Why her?" Dean asked, glancing at Michelle out of the corner of his eye, even though she'd been targeted by Azazel, the demon's own words confirmed a theory Michelle's parents had had, her powers were completely her own, probably just triggered by the demon blood Azazel had tried to feed her, "Why any of them?"

"Because they're strong," Azazel explained. Michelle glanced away to see Deana peek around the corner to see what was happening, looking around frantically to try and make a plan, "They're pure, and they eat their Wheaties. My own little Master Race, they're ideal breeders," Dean grimaced at that, "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter no one's breeding with _me_. Though, Mary? Man, I'd like to make an exception, so far, she's my favorite."

Dean tried to struggle more at the mention of his mother.

"So why make deals?" Michelle interrupted, trying to keep Azazel's attention on them and not on Deana. Dean looked at Michelle before following her gaze to see his grandmother in the doorway. He looked at Azazel, eyeing Michelle at the moment, and turned to his grandmother, nodding towards the table where the Colt was still sitting.

"I need _permission_," Azazel sighed, "I need to be _invited_, into their houses, I know, I know, the…the red tape'll drive you nuts, but in ten short years, it'll all be worth it. 'Cause you know what I'm gonna do to your sibling? I'm gonna stand over their crib and I'm gonna bleed into their mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals, it makes you big and strong."

"Right," Michelle scoffed, the demon blood he'd tried to feed her nearly _killed_ her.

"Strong enough for what?" Dean continued, "So they can lead your discount demon army? Is _that_ your big plan?"

"Please, my end game's a hell of a lot bigger than that kid," Azazel rolled his eyes.

"End game?" Dean lifted an eyebrow, not expecting that, "What end game?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you, or those angels sitting on your shoulder. No, I'm gonna cover my tracks good."

"Not well enough," Michelle glared.

Azazel turned to her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"You can cover whatever the hell you want, but I'm still gonna kill you," Dean continued, not seeming to have heard Michelle.

"Right, now _that_, I'd like to see," Azazel smirked.

"Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, 'cause _I'm_ the one that kills you," Dean glared, promise in his eyes.

"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right?" Azazel laughed, "Is that it? Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save," he took out a knife just as Deana inched her way closer to the Colt, "Your grandpappy," he plunged the knife into Samuel's body, not even flinching.

"No!" Dean shouted at the same time as Deana, the woman giving away her location by her cry.

Azazel turned around to see Deana make a lunge for the Colt and waved his hand, sending her flying over the table and onto the floor. He stormed over to her while the duo struggled to free themselves. Deana was crawling away, when Azazel kneeled over her and twisted her neck. The sound of it breaking could be heard everywhere. While Azazel's attention was solely on Deana, his grasp on Dean and Michelle slipped and they managed to free themselves. Dean ran forward and grabbed the Colt but Azazel was gone.

"Mary!" Michelle called, realizing who the demon was _really_ after.

They ran out of the kitchen and to the car, getting in and gunning it down the road. They must have driven around the whole town before they caught sight of the Impala parked on the side of a bridge. They practically flew up there, getting out of the car, only to freeze at the sight of Mary, cradling a dead John in her arms, Azazel standing over her.

"No!" Dean shouted just as Mary kissed Azazel, sealing the deal that would bring John back to life.

"Dean!" Michelle called, tossing him the Colt as he ran towards the demon. Azazel gave him one glance before the demon smoke rushed out of Samuel's body just before he could shoot. Samuel's body fell to the ground and Dean looked at Mary, Michelle running up to them.

Mary looked at Dean, a sad look on her face, and Dean's face fell, he'd failed.

John suddenly gasped awake, drawing Mary's attention, "Mary?" he asked.

"John!" she shouted, relieved, and leaned down to hug him.

Dean's shoulders slumped as he watched, completely defeated. Michelle took a breath and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her sympatric face, when the sound of wings rustling came to them. They turned to see Castiel standing behind them, sympathetic as well. Dean glanced at his mother for a moment before they suddenly disappeared.

Dean gasped awake, sitting up in bed, to see Michelle sitting on the end of his bed, with Castiel standing beside her. He let out a breath and turned to the side of the bed, looking sad and disappointed in himself.

"I couldn't stop any of it," he said out loud, "She still made the deal, she still died in the nursery, didn't she?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you couldn't have stopped it," Castiel attempted to comfort him.

Dean slowly stood and looked over at Castiel, "What?"

"Destiny can't be changed Dean, all roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send us back?"

"For the truth, now you know everything we do."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean raised his eyebrows at him. Castiel just nodded to the empty bed next to Dean's, "Where's Sam?"

Michelle sighed, "With Ruby."

"Ruby?" Dean demanded, outraged, Sam had said she was _gone_, "And you didn't _stop_ him?"

"I didn't really have time to stop him when we were in 1973," she countered.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother," Castiel interrupted, "What we don't know is _why_, what his endgame is," he looked subtly at Michelle, who shook her head, a determined look on her face. He sighed, "He went to great lengths to cover that up."

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded of the angel, wanting the exact location.

"425 Waterman."

Dean moved towards the door, grabbing his keys and jacket, and looked back at Michelle, "You coming?"

She nodded and got up, moving to join him.

"You brother is headed down a dangerous road Dean," Castiel continued, warning him, "And we're not sure where it leads, so stop it. Or we will."

Dean glared at the angel, his eyes widening in fear and disbelief, for the first time completely in the dark as to what his brother was doing or why he'd left in the middle of the night. Castiel wasn't joking around, he was _dead serious_, and that _scared_ him. He quickly left the room and half-ran to the parking lot.

"Michelle," Castiel called as she moved to follow, giving her a meaningful look.

"My visions are mine alone," was all she said, before walking out the door, "I can handle it. By myself."

Castiel sighed, the only one who knew what the endgame was, was Michelle, because she had seen it when the Devil's Gate had opened but she wasn't talking. He couldn't fault her though, her resentment was well founded, they had made her a pawn in all this long before she had any right to be.

A/N: 'I will be on your ass like a hemorrhoid' lol. I _had_ to add that line in, it's such a Bobby thing to say. I don't even know where I heard that expression, but it fit :) I'll be honest, I won't be answering as many review questions in this story as in my DW fics, I really want the suspense and mystery to continue as long as possible, you guys have a lot of good theories, and I can't wait till you find out which are right :)

More and more questions here, what WAS Michelle doing in Kentucky? And Michelle, the tough-as-nails Hunter, is having _nightmares_? About what? Just how well _does_ she know Castiel? Giving him a nickname, knowing about his powers, trusting him implicitly? And what's this vision that Michelle saw? The one she told Bobby? What happened in it? Why _exactly_ does Castiel think she is resentful of the angels and Heaven? She's a pawn? In what? Since when? What happened?!

All I have to say is...poor, poor Michelle...Dean may have promised Bobby he'd behave around Michelle but...well...Sam in the next chapter...not so much. Poor Michelle.


	5. Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Dean was driving down the road in the Impala, on the way to find Sam, Michelle staring out the passenger's window distractedly.

"You ok?" Dean asked, glancing at her.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling softly, "Why?"

"Well uh…" he swallowed, unsure of how to phrased it, "When you came back to Bobby's, you seemed...different, off…"

"Like how?" she asked slowly.

"Like," he frowned, "Like how you were with Bela and the last few days I was here. It was like you were a soldier and not Michelle."

She sighed sadly, "I _am _a soldier, but I understand," she continued when Dean went to argue, "When I saw your family in the past, it reminded me of a few things I'd started to forget," she tuned to smile at him, one of her _actual_ smiles, "So don't worry, I'll be fine."

"If you say so," he nodded, turning back to the road.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, not even Metallica playing on the speakers, till they pulled up to 425 Waterman. They slowly crept around, till Dean suddenly found himself being pulled back.

"What was that for?" he whispered at Michelle.

She just held a finger to her lips and nodded towards a window. He slowly peeked around it to see Sam and a girl he recognized as Kristy from the motel, standing before a man tied to a chair, their backs to the window. His eyes widened and he looked back at Michelle.

"It's a demon in the chair," she assured him, before sighing sadly, "I can't see who the woman is," though she was fairly certain it was Ruby.

"Damn it Sam!" Dean hissed to himself, looking around to watch and try and figure out what his brother was doing. He didn't have to wait long before the tied up man's eyes went black and Sam held out a hand at the demon, forcing it to flee its host. Dean watching in horror, not only as his brother used his psychic abilities, but also in the realization that Sam had_ lied _about _not_ using them.

"Come on," Dean ordered, grabbing Michelle's arm and pulling her around to cut off Sam and his girl when they went to leave.**  
**  
"…it's alright," they heard Sam say as he neared the door Dean and Michelle were standing behind. Dean threw it open, stopping his brother in his tracks, looking very angry.

"So...anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Dean glared.

Sam tried to look innocent and motioned for the woman to move behind him, "Dean, hold on, ok?" Sam tried to placate his brother as the older one stalked towards him, pushing him back into the room, Michelle following after, "Just let me…"

"You gonna say, 'let me explain?'" Dean ground out, "You're gonna explain _this_? How about this? Why don't you start with who_ she_ is, and what the hell is she doing here?"

The woman stepped around Sam and smiled at Dean, "Just great," Dean heard Michelle mumble behind him.

"It's good to see you again, Dean," the woman greeted, "Michelle."

"Ruby?" Dean raised an eyebrow, he looked behind him at Michelle, "Is that Ruby?"

Michelle nodded, well now she knew for sure it was Ruby.

A moment later Dean reached out, grabbed a hold of Ruby, and shoved her against the wall, about to strike her with her own knife.

Sam jumped up and grabbed his arm, "Don't!"

He struggled with his brother until he finally got the knife out of Dean's hand. But that didn't stop Dean from pushing him back into a wall. Ruby retaliated, grabbing Dean while he was distracted and pinning him against the wall he'd had her at moments ago.

She was about to hit him, when a gun cocked behind her and she felt the barrel on the back of her head. She dropped her arm but kept Dean pinned.

"Stop it!" Sam shouted, getting up and walking over to them. He stood next to Ruby, "Ruby!"

Ruby stared at Dean's eyes, still keeping a choke hold as he glared back. Finally she let him go.

"Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch?" Dean snarked.

Ruby didn't respond but she tensed, ready to attack, until Michelle pressed the gun harder against her head. Ruby smirked, "You won't be able to kill me," she lifted her hands in mock surrender, "That's not the Colt."

"Maybe it won't kill _you_," Michelle replied, every bit the soldier, "But it _will_ kill your host and at this point, I wouldn't miss it."

Dean and Sam's eyes widened at her words. They'd always tried to _save_ the host...to hear her willing to _kill_ one...it was so unlike her.

"Michelle," Sam said, eyeing her harshly, she glanced at him a moment before stepping back and lowering the gun. He sighed and turned to Ruby, "Ruby," he began, drawing her attention, "Ruby, he's hurt," he nodded at the man who had been possessed, "Go."

Ruby gave Dean one more look before turning and walking past Michelle, glaring at her as she reached the man. She hoisted his arm over her shoulder and began to lead him out of the room.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean shouted after her.

"The ER..." she replied, "Unless you want to go another round first."

Dean didn't say anything as Ruby walked out of the room but he turned to look at Sam.

"Dean…" Sam began. But Dean ignored him, walking past him and out the door he came through, "Dean!"

Michelle sighed, looking up at Sam for a moment before walking out to check on Dean.

She found him sitting in the Impala, the engine running, gripping the steering wheel. She quickly got in the passenger's seat a second before he took off down the road, leaving Sam stranded at the house.

Michelle didn't say anything for a while, knowing that Dean drove to calm down. She judged it by his speed, the more stressed and angry he was, the faster he went. When he started driving something close to the speed limit, near dawn, she spoke up.

"Are you alright?"

Dean let out a breath, "I just can't believe him…"

"Were those the psychic powers you were talking about?" Michelle tried to distract him, sensing that his anger had more to do with Sam using his powers than the lies.

Dean didn't answer. He was pissed, yeah, that his brother was using demon spawned powers, especially when it _had_ been his dying wish for him not to. But there was something else that was pissing him off too.

Ruby.

Not just that she was back, but that Sam was so _close_ to her. He recognized her as the woman from the motel room, he knew she'd barely been dressed at that point, Sam had basically implied that he'd been intimate with the woman, meaning he'd been doing a demon.

And he knew that that information alone would kill Michelle if she ever found out. Granted, he didn't know _why_ she'd left his brother alone or what she'd been doing, and yeah he was so angry and disappointed about that, but he _knew_ Michelle. Right now he felt like he knew her better than he knew his own brother. Whatever she was doing, whatever reason she left, she was doing something important for the both of them. He knew she loved his brother with everything she had, even now, when he was basically being a dick. _He_ thought of Michelle as a younger sister and his brother was about to break her heart if he kept up with Ruby.

Something told him wherever Michelle had been, she'd come back much more fragile than before. He _had_ to watch out for her, especially if Sam wouldn't. It was his job as the big brother...and right now, she needed him more.

"Dean?" her voice cut in, drawing him back to reality.

He sighed, "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," she smiled, repeating his words from earlier. He couldn't help but smile at that.

~8~

They returned to the hotel about an hour later to see Sam sitting at a table in the room, reading a book. Michelle had insisted on going to her own room but Dean refused, muttering something about her ability to diffuse situations. She highly doubted how much she'd be able to help, this was a brother-brother dispute, one that had the makings of being one of epic proportions.

As soon as Dean walked through the door, Sam was up and out of his chair, he hesitated speaking when he saw Michelle enter as well. She looked up at him, holding his gaze a moment before looking down and stepping more into the room as Dean began packing his bag.

"Dean…" Sam began, eyeing him, "What are you doing?" Dean ignored him, "What, are you…are you _leaving_?"

"You don't need me," he commented, "You and Ruby go fight demons. I'll stick with Michelle," he turned and grabbed Michelle's arm, pulling her towards the door with his bag in hand, when Sam suddenly stood in their way.

"Hold on. Dean, come on, man," Sam tried as Dean pushed around him, before turning around and punching Sam across the face. Sam whirled around from the force of it.

"Dean!" Michelle shouted, not expecting him to get _that _violent that quickly, especially since he seemed to have calmed down.

"You satisfied?" Sam asked, only for Dean to hit him again, "I guess not."

Michelle quickly stepped forward and grabbed Dean's still-raised fist, bringing it down and placing herself between the brothers so Sam wouldn't get hit again, so Dean wouldn't get hit when Sam's temper blew.

"Do you even _know_ how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean shouted at him, but not stepping past Michelle, "How far from normal? From _human_?"

"I'm just exorcizing demons," Sam countered.

"With your mind!"

"Dean," Michelle said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, calming down, as Michelle turned to Sam, "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to Hell," Sam told them, "It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean pushed past Michelle and grabbed Sam, forcing him to walk backwards, clearly the answer was _not _one he was happy about, "What _else_ can you _do_?!"

"I _told_ you!" Sam shouted as Michelle squeezed between the two and pushed them away from each other again, standing between them with her arms out, half-holding them back.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that," Dean replied sarcastically, turning and walking back towards the door.

"Look, I _should_ have said something," Sam called out, stopping his brother but not getting him to turn around, "I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here..."

"The _other side_?" Dean turned around and raised an eyebrow

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people."

"Use the knife!"

"The knife _kills_ the victim! What I do, most of them _survive_! Look, I've saved more people in the last _five months_ than we save in a _year_."

"That's not true Sam," Michelle stated quietly.

"That's what Ruby _wants _you to think!" Dean agreed, "Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers!" he shook his head, looking at his brother sadly, "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

Michelle flinched.

"I'm not gonna let it go too far," Sam promised.

Dean tried to smile at that but instead walked over to the wall and knocked the lamp onto the floor in anger, "It's_ already_ gone too far, Sam!" he responded angrily, "If I didn't you know...I would wanna_ hunt_ you."

Sam looked at him, shocked and tearful, before nodding, looking down.

Dean sighed, "And so would other Hunters."

Sam looked up at him, his gaze flickering to Michelle to see her look away, silently agreeing with Dean. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, why it still hurt that _Michelle_ was disappointed in him, after everything she'd _done_ to him, he didn't know.

"You were gone," Sam tried to make them understand, "You _both_ were, and I was here. I had to keep on fighting _without_ you. And what I'm doing...it _works_."

"Well, tell me," Dean glared, "If it's _so_ terrific...then why'd you lie about it to me?" Sam looked down, "Why did _an angel_ tell me to_ stop you_?"

"What?" Sam looked up, surprised.

"Castiel," Michelle answered, seeing it was difficult for Dean to talk about, even though he had threatened his brother, the idea of someone_ else _coming after Sam _terrified_ him, "He said that if we didn't stop you, he would."

"See what that means, Sam?" Dean continued, "That means that _God _doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all _good_?"

Sam stared at them, utterly ashamed at the thought that he was doing something against God, something so horrible and terrible not even _God_ could forgive him for doing it. He looked down, about to speak, when his phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Sam asked, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to collect himself, "Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey…uh…it's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. It's…yeah, ok. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh…Carthage, Missouri," he walked over to the bedside table and wrote it down, "Looking for Jack Montgomery," he flipped the phone closed and looked up at Dean, hesitantly. He opened his mouth to talk about the next hunt.

"We should head to Carthage," Michelle spoke up, "I remember my parents mentioning a Travis, if _he's_ asking for _help_, we should go."

Dean looked down at Michelle, before nodding and walking out.

"Thank…" Sam started.

"Don't," Michelle cut him off, looking down before walking off behind Dean.

~8~

Dean was behind the wheel of the Impala, Sam in the passenger's seat, Michelle in the back, like old times. Dean had just finished telling Sam where they had been, their trip to the past.

"I can't believe it," Sam shook his head, "_Mom_, a _Hunter_?"

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself," Dean nodded, "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down. If it hadn't been for Michelle, she probably would have finished me off. Ironic, the woman who brought me into the world would be the one to take me out."

"Why did Castiel send the two of you?" Sam asked after a moment, he hadn't been too thrilled to hear that _Michelle_ had been sent back with his brother instead of him.

"Well you were a bit busy," Dean remarked, coldly.

It was silent for a while, till Sam decided to break it and change the topic, "How'd she look? I mean...was she happy?"

"Yeah, she was awesome," Dean smiled, "Funny and smart…"

"Beautiful too," Michelle added.

"So…hopeful," Dean looked over at Sam before focusing on the road, "Dad, too. Until of course..." Sam sighed. "What?"

"Nothing," Sam replied, looking out the window for a moment and turned back to his brother, "It's just…our parents. And now we find out our _grandparents_ too? Our whole family _murdered_, and for what? So yellow eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean paused a moment, realizing something, "Sam…I never said anything about demon blood," Sam looked away, guilty, "You _knew_ about that?"

"Sam wasn't supposed to know?" Michelle looked confused, "But he seemed to know when I told him about my powers…"

"I've known for about a year," Sam admitted to them.

"A whole _year_?" Dean looked out the window again.

"I should have told you," Sam looked over at Dean, "I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine."

"Dean…" Sam began but Dean ignored him, so he sighed, "Whatever."

~8~

"Are you _sure_ that's him?" Dean asked as he, Sam, and Michelle watched Jack Montgomery through binoculars.

"Only Jack Montgomery in town," Sam answered.

"He's not a demon though," Michelle told them.

"Then we're looking for..." Dean trailed, confused.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird," Sam shrugged.

"Weird?" Dean looked over at him.

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's _boring_."

"I don't know, Dean," Michelle frowned, eyeing the man, confused. She couldn't tell what it was, but there _was _something _off_ about him.

"Travis seemed pretty sure," Sam argued.

"Guys look," Michelle cut in, nodding towards the house. They picked up their binoculars to see Jack stuffing his face with raw meat, until a woman walked in.

"I'd say that qualifies as weird," Sam finished.

~8~

Dean, Sam, and Michelle entered a motel room, seeing someone already sitting in there, waiting for them, "Travis?" Sam asked as Dean began to smile.

"See, Sam," Dean nodded towards the man smiling at them with a beer in his hand, "Told you we should have hid the beer."

Travis got up and walked over to them, "Smartass," he laughed, "Get over here," he pulled Dean into a hug, "Ah, good to see you."

"You too," Dean pulled away, letting Travis hug Sam.

"Good to see you," Travis hugged the younger man.

"You too, Travis," Sam smiled.

"Man, you got tall, kid," Travis laughed, turning to face Michelle, "No, it can't be…little Michelle?"

"Hello Travis," she smiled as he pulled her into a bear hug.

"How you doing kid? Heard about yer parents, damn shame."

"I'm fine," she replied, pulling away, "It was a long time ago."

"Don't make no difference. I haven't seen you since before they died, musta been 7, 8 years ago?" he turned to the boys, "How long has it been for you?"

"Gotta be 10 years," Sam shook his head.

"You still a...oh, what was it...a mathlete?" Travis asked, getting on a lighter subject.

"No," Sam scoffed.

"You were a _mathlete_?" Michelle eyed him.

"Yep, sure was," Dean laughed, "Still is."

Travis laughed as well, "Been too long. I mean, look at you. All grown up. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, his smile fading as he glanced at his brother, "Yeah, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than _family_."

"You too Michelle," Travis continued, not seeming to notice the tension, "Kelly and Miles would have been so proud," he smiled at them all before walking over to the table and sighing, "Sorry I'm late for the dance," he motioned for them to sit down as he sat at the table. Sam and Dean sat on the bed across from him while Michelle sat on the back of the couch, "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded," he held up his hand, covered in a cast, "So, you track down Montgomery?"

"Yeah, we found him at his home," Sam told him.

"And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook," Dean added.

"That's him alright."

"What is he?" Michelle asked, sensing another meaning in his words.

"We got a rougarou on our hands."

"A rougarou?" Dean frowned, he looked over at Sam for a second, "Is that made up?" he then turned back to Travis, "That sounds made up."

Michelle shook her head, "A rougarou is a creature that's like a cross between a wendigo and a werewolf. It's basically a super-human that feeds…a lot."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers," Travis nodded, "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy," Dean countered, "I mean, he was wearing a cell phone on his belt."

"He'll turn ugly soon enough."

"They start out human," Michelle added, seeing their confused looks.

"So, what?" Sam narrowed his eyes in confusion, "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly," Travis nodded, "But most of all, they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Dean had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"At first, for everything, but then...for long pig."

Sam exhaled, understanding what Travis was saying, while Dean looked confused, "Long pig?" he asked.

"Human flesh," Michelle answered.

"And that is my word of the day," Dean sat back.

"Hunger grows until they can't fight it," Travis continued to explain, "Till they gotta take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam looked at Michelle.

"They transform completely and fast," she sighed.

"One bite's all it takes," Travis explained, "Eyes, teeth, skin, all turns. No going back either. They feed _once_, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean inquired.

"Let's just say it runs in his family."

"You mean, uh..." Sam trailed, disgusted at the thought of a monster reproducing.

"Killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife...little did I know, _pregnant_ trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me _you_ couldn't find someone?" this time it was Michelle that asked.

Travis sighed, "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid...I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn _sure_ I had the right man. Apparently, I do."

~8~

Dean and Travis were sitting by the table, fixing gas cans for use. Michelle was sitting on the couch, one of her books from Bobby's open on her lap.

"So fire, huh?" Dean looked up at the man.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards, deep-fry 'em," Travis replied.

"Well, that's gonna be...horrible. Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

"Uh huh."

Sam came into the room, papers in his hand, pausing when he saw Dean and Travis at work, "Not wasting any time, are you?"

"None to waste. The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam sat down on the bed heavily, "What if he _doesn't _hulk out? I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous..."

"What?" Travis looked up, offended, "My 30 years of experience not good enough for you? Michelle's knowhow not enough? You know, you'd be hard pressed to find a creature that girl _don't_ know about and…"

"No," Sam interrupted, trying to make amends, "No, I…I…I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't…"

"Sam loves research," Michelle called over, digging him out of the hole he'd gotten himself into.

"He does," Dean agreed, "He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness," he glanced at Sam, "It is."

"Look, everything you two said checked out, of course, but uh," Sam hesitated, "I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they _start_ to turn, but…they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked as Michelle looked up from the couch in interest.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform."

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically. Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig," Michelle supplied.

"Right," he glanced at her a moment before looking away.

Dean smiled a bit at both the information from Sam and the fact that he seemed to be trying to be more civil to Michelle...though it might have just been a minor lingering gratitude for placating Travis.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam," Travis remarked, getting up, "But those are fairy tales," he walked over to the pantry to get another cup of coffee, "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of...took that bite."

"Ok, well, that doesn't mean that _Jack _will," Sam stood up, Dean and Michelle watching him.

"So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

"Fight it?" Travis laughed, "Are you _kidding_ me? You ever been _really_ hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-_days_ hungry?"

"Yeah," Dean answered.

"Yeah, right then," Travis continued, "So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" Dean looked thoughtful for a second before admitting he wouldn't by just raising his eyebrows, "_That's _what we are to him now, meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a standup guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's _nice_?"

"I don't know," Sam responded, staring hard at the man, his voice firm, "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Sam took a few breaths before walking out of the room. Michelle watched him leave before slowly turning down to look at her book without seeing it.

"What's up with your brother?" Travis asked Dean, very confused by Sam's reaction.

"Don't get me started," Dean shook his head, going back to the gas tanks.

~8~

The trio was driving down a road the next morning in their usual seats.

"Alright, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy," Dean spoke, "Which, you know...I'm down," Sam just sat quietly next to him, staring out the windshield, a serious look on his face, "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

He looked at Sam who finally turned to look at him, "Meaning?"

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive."

"This guy has a _name_ and a _wife_."

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, ok? I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They _always_ turn."

"Well, maybe he _won't_. Maybe he can fight it off!"

"And maybe he _can't_," Michelle spoke quietly, "That's all he's saying."

"Alright, we'll just have to see then, ok?" Sam grumbled, turning away from them.

"This is what I mean, Sam," Dean continued. Michelle shook her head, they just didn't know when to _leave well enough alone_, "You sure _your _emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam looked at him, confused.

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate."

Dean looked over at him with a meaningful look but, for a moment, Sam didn't respond. Michelle eyed him worriedly, seeing he was angrier than she'd ever seen him.

"Stop the car," he demanded.

"What?" Dean looked at him.

"Stop the car or I will!"

Dean quickly pulled over to the side of the road by a small lake and the brothers got out, slamming the doors behind them. Michelle rolled her eyes and got out on Dean's side, walking over to the brothers.

"You want to _know_ why I've been lying to you, Dean?" Sam rounded on his brother, "Because of crap like _this_."

"Like what?" Dean shook his head.

"The way you _talk _to me, the way you_ look _at me. Like I'm a _freak_!"

"I do not!"

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam continued, walking up to Dean, getting in his face, "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

He turned around and walked away, only making it a few steps, before Michelle spoke, "Do you?"

He spun around, "What?"

"_Do you_ know the difference, Sam?" she repeated, her eyes filling with tears. She was so upset, about _everything_, what he'd been doing, who he'd been with, how he hadn't had faith in her when she left, how he'd been treating her since she got back. It was all _getting_ to her, "You've been going down a dark road lately…"

"You have no idea what I'm going through," Sam spat at her, "None," then he laughed, "But how could you? You weren't here. As soon as Dean was dead and buried you skipped town. Let's just ignore the fact that my brother just _died_ and you _left _me alone! I had _no one_ but _you_ and you _walked away_!"

"I didn't just walk away. I had to…"

"What? What did you have to do that was _so important_ you had to _leave me_? Or that you couldn't_ tell_ me? Huh? Clearly, whatever it was, was more important to you than I was."

"That's not fair Sam," she shot back, "You _are _the most important thing to me. I love you, and I would do _anything_ for you, I…"

"You love me?" he glared at her, "You don't _abandon_ someone you love! You don't _leave_ them when they _need _you the _most_. So, clearly, you _don't_ love me," she opened her mouth to argue, but he continued, "Which is fine, because lately, I've been thinking I didn't love you either."

It was silent.

Dean's eyes were so wide his eyebrows were in his hairline as his mouth dropped open at what his brother had just said. He looked at Michelle to see her looking as though she'd just been slapped.

"What?" she asked quietly, tears in her voice.

"I _didn't_ love you," he repeated, "I_ don't_ love you. Whatever we had, didn't mean anything to either of us. It was _a mistake_."

Michelle shuddered, turning around to face the small lake a few feet away. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked towards it, stopping at its edge, hugging herself as though it would keep her from falling apart. So _this_ was what it felt like to have your heart ripped out of your chest.

So lost was she in her pain that she didn't even notice Dean punch Sam and half-throw him back into the car before walking over to her.

"Michelle?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, she flinched so he removed it, "Sam didn't mean it."

"He did," she nodded, tears falling from her eyes even though she made no sounds of crying, "And I…I just…after _everything _I…a _mistake_?"

Dean swallowed hard, seeing her so broken and not knowing what to do, this was so far beyond his experience. Usually, he'd just punch Sam in the shoulder and tell him to get laid, but he couldn't really do that with Michelle, it was different with her, "You uh…want to wait here while we go talk to that guy?" she nodded, her gaze fixed on the lake, he glanced at it, frowning in worry, "You're um, not going to, uh…"

"No," she answered, knowing what he was getting at, knowing she wasn't about to go drown herself in a lake...who would make sure the boys...Dean...didn't die on hunts? She sighed, "But I _do_ want to be alone."

He nodded and turned to walk back to the car, pulling out and driving off, leaving her there.

"He thinks it was a mistake?" she asked, more to herself than anything.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, but didn't shy away this time, sensing the presence next to her. She looked up to see Castiel, looking at her with a sympathetic expression. She hesitated a moment before the heartbreak got to her and she finally let herself cry, Castiel pulling her into his arms in comfort.

~8~

The car ride hadn't gone very well, Dean was fuming at his brother for his idiocy and let him know _exactly _how pissed he was as he repeatedly smacked him on the back of the head as he tried to drive. To his credit, Sam had the decency to look ashamed at what he had done and said, but didn't speak at all. They put on an act when they came across Jack, but even _that_ conversation hadn't gone well. He'd almost believed them…till they told him he was changing into a creature like the one his father had become before someone had killed it and brought up the fact that he might kill his wife.

Then he'd demanded they get off his property.

Dean drove back to the lake, growing tenser with each minute as he remembered _why_ he was going there to _pick up_ Michelle and why she hadn't been _with them_ in the first place.

He saw her sitting on a rock, leaning against a tree. He glared at his brother, who looked hurt at the sight, before getting out and slamming the door. He walked over to her, kneeling at her side, watching as she watched the sunset.

"You ok?" was all he could think to ask. She nodded, "Are you uh…going to go all commando soldier on me again?" she shook her head, "Good, 'cause, uh, you know, that really freaks me out," he laughed a bit, earning a small laugh from her as well.

At least he managed that.

"I'm ok Dean," she sighed and stood up, "I just…I had to reevaluate some things."

He nodded, knowing his brother was what she was thinking about.

"You ready to go?" she glanced back at the car, "I can make Sammy walk."

She smiled at him, but shook her head, "It's fine," she got up and walked towards the car, her arms still around her, "But uh…I'm probably going to get a second room."

He frowned at that, he'd_ just_ managed to convince her to crash on their couch before they'd gone back to the motel to confront Sam, telling her he wanted to keep an eye on her, even if she had nightmares, and that, with the way things were going, he'd probably kill Sam in his sleep if she wasn't there. He'd actually gotten her to agree, but now…back to square one. He sighed and nodded anyway.

"Thank you Dean," she smiled a bit more, walking towards the Impala, avoiding Sam's gaze as she got in on Dean's side and slid into the back. She took a breath as Dean started to pull out and head back towards Jack's house, "So what was the outcome?"

"Same old, same old," Dean shrugged, before Sam could open his mouth, "He listened up to the point of 'you're a monster,' then kicked us out."

She nodded, "So we're going to stake him out and keep an eye on him?"

"And hope he doesn't think his wife is a cheeseburger," Dean agreed.

They drove in silence, until Dean caught sight of someone sitting on a bench in town and staring up at a woman changing in her apartment window, Jack. He motioned towards the man before pulling off to the side of the road to watch and wait.

"Ow!" Dean hissed as Michelle smacked him in the back of the head, "What was that for?"

"Eyes on the bench," she told him, knowing he was trying to watch the same peep show Jack was getting.

Dean grumbled as he turned to look back at the bench. A moment later Jack stood up and ran across the street towards the woman's building.

"Damn it!" Sam shouted, "Jack, no!"

He grabbed a flamethrower and left the car, Dean grabbing one as well and following, "Come on," he muttered for Michelle to do the same.

They ran up to the building, watching as Jack climbed the fire escape.

"Guys!" Michelle shouted, nodding towards the front door to the complex. They ran after her, rushing up to the woman's level, and finding her door. Dean and Sam wasted no time kicking it down and running in, flamethrowers ready.

The woman had just stepped out of her bedroom and jumped back, startled at seeing them standing there. She screamed and backed away.

"Wait!" Sam shouted.

She slammed her bedroom door while the trio stood by the front door, looking confused.

"Whoa, uh, we're here to save you, I guess," Dean attempted.

"I'm calling the police," the woman shouted through her locked door.

"We should go," Michelle commented, backing out.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. They hurried out, Dean trying to close the door but the lock was completely broken.

"We need to find Jack," Sam said as they ran back to the Impala and hightailed it out of there.

"No need to tell me," Dean responded as he sped off towards Jack's house. They were there in a matter of minutes, pulling up to see Travis's car in the driveway. They readied their flamethrowers and walked towards the house.

"I guess now we know where Travis is," Dean remarked.

"That stupid son of a bitch," Sam's eyes widened as he realized what Travis was planning.

Dean looked over at Sam due to the comment just as they reached the steps. Michelle reached out and slowly opened the front door, allowing the boys in and then shutting it behind her. Dean eyed the stairs while Sam looked towards the kitchen, and Michelle headed towards the living room.

"Guys," she whispered, calling them over.

They walked to the doorway to see a blood on the carpet. The pool of blood left a trail to behind the couch where someone had been dragged. They shared a glance before stepping into the room.

Sam's eyes caught sight of a piece of meat on the floor and he walked over to it, followed closely by Dean and Michelle.

"Oh, God," Dean grimaced, eyeing it, "Think that's Travis?"

"What's left of him," Michelle sighed.

"Guess you were right about Jack," Sam replied, defeated. He'd been pushing so hard that he was _different _and could be_ saved_, only to be proven wrong.

Michelle reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but hesitated and pulled it back. Dean noticed however and was about to comment on how she shouldn't even bother given what Sam had done earlier, when he was suddenly pushed forward, a partially transformed Jack jumping on him from behind.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as his brother and Jack slammed down on the coffee table, Dean being knocked out.

Sam ran around them and pulled out his flamethrower, just getting the lighter in front of it before Jack turned around and attacked. He slammed Sam down, Sam hitting the back of his head on the floor. He saw Jack raise the flamethrower and was about to bash it into his head, when Michelle jumped on his back, but Jack was too strong and threw her off and into the wall. He slammed the canister into Sam's face, knocking him out. He could have sworn he heard Michelle shout his name before it all went black.

~8~

Sam woke up in the closet, jumping up and grabbing the door handle, trying it, but it was locked. He looked around, noticing for the first time he was alone, neither Dean nor Michelle were in the room with him.

"Dean?" Sam called through the door, hoping for the best, "Michelle?"

"Dean can't come to the phone right now," Jack called back from the other room, "And Michelle's down for the count."

"Jack!" Sam shouted, slamming his fist against the door, "If you hurt them, I swear to God…"

"Calm down!" Jack cut in, "Your brother's alive…but your little girlfriend…" Sam felt his insides freeze, "Can't say the same for her, I hit her pretty hard, guess I don't know my own strength yet," he looked down at the unconscious forms of Dean and Michelle sprawled out on the floor, Michelle's had a cut on her head that was bleeding pretty badly, the smell alone was driving him insane, but he wanted _answers_.

"Alright, Jack," Sam tried, breathing heavily as he tried in vain to calm down, "Listen. Open the door. We can figure this out, ok?"

"We'll have ourselves a little brainstorming session?" Jack laughed.

"Jack," Sam began desperately, every second he was locked in the room was another moment Jack could be trying to eat Dean or Michelle and, if he was telling the truth about Michelle, it was a moment longer she wasn't getting help, "Please."

"I don't think so. After what you did?"

"What?" Sam asked, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"You sent your friend here! He tried to burn my wife alive!"

"What? Why?"

Jack hesitated a moment, realizing they _didn't_ know what Travis had done, "He didn't say."

Sam reached into his pockets for his lock picking tools, but couldn't find them. Then he saw a metal hanger and grabbed it.

"I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves," Jack continued.

"Listen to me," Sam called, hearing him moving around, "You gotta believe me. My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, ok? And Michelle? She didn't even know who your wife was, she still doesn't. She…she's never done anything to hurt anyone, she's…she's always trying to help."

There was silence except for the sound of Jack moving around. Sam almost punched the door when he heard a smacking noise, as though someone had licked a finger clean with a pop.

And that was just what Jack did as he dipped a finger into a puddle of blood forming by Michelle's head and licked it, reveling in the taste, "Oh, God. I'm _so_ hungry."

Sam's eyes widened at the words and began to frantically try to pick the lock with the hanger while keeping his voice calm, "Jack, don't do this."

"I can't _ever_ see my family again. You three...and your friend. You made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us," Sam argued, getting frustrated with the lock, "_Listen_ to me. You got this dark pit inside you. I know," he leaned his head against the door, his eyes closed in self-loathing, "Believe me, I _know_," he opened his eyes with a sigh, "But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't _have_ to be a monster. Especially…" he started picking the lock again, determined, "Especially if you have something to fight for, people to fight for. People who love you."

"Have you _seen_ me lately?" Jack laughed, "My own _wife _is _terrified_ of me."

"It doesn't matter _what_ you are. It only matters what you _do_. It's your choice."

Jack was still for a moment before he grunted in pain, "My _choice_?" he nearly growled, leaning over Michelle, "My wife left me…it's only fair that your girlfriend leaves you."

"Jack!" Sam called, kicking the door open.

Jack whipped around, only to see Sam there, flamethrower and lighter in hand. Jack paused a moment, Dean groaning as he started to wake up to see Sam and Jack facing off and Michelle lying, unmoving, a few feet away. Jack suddenly lunged for Sam, who raised the lighter and clicked it. Dean threw himself to the side, shielding Michelle from the mess of flames that exploded from the flamethrower and engulfed Jack alive. He fell to the floor, burning, slowly dying as Sam watched.

Dean looked over at Sam, staring down at the body, defeated and sad. But he didn't have long to think on that as Sam walked over and scooped Michelle into his arms, "He said he shoved her pretty hard," Sam replied, though Dean could hear a trace of worry in his voice.

Dean nodded and got up, getting the door for Sam and driving them all back to the motel as fast as he could.

"You did the right thing, you know," Dean commented, glancing in the rearview mirror at Sam holding Michelle in the backseat, dabbing at the wound on her head as they drove, "That guy was a monster, there was no going back," Sam didn't even look up, his attention focused on Michelle. Dean wasn't sure if it was due to concern or if he was just avoiding the topic, so he continued, "Sam, I wanna tell you...I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately."

"Don't worry about it Dean," Sam whispered a bit brokenly.

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing…it scares the crap out of me."

"Look, if it's all the same...I'd _really_ rather _not_ talk about it."

Dean smiled a bit, seeing Sam look up at him, "Wait a minute. What? You don't want to _talk_? _You_?"

"There's nothing more to say," Sam replied blankly, no reaction to Dean's attempt at reconciliation, "I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand."

"Why don't you try?"

"I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I gotta deal with."

Dean hesitated a moment before shifting his gaze to Michelle's prone form, "Not alone."

Sam sighed and looked away shamefully, "I doubt it."

"Why?" Dean's brow furrowed.

"After…after everything I said to her," Sam shook his head mournfully, "She'll never talk to me again."

Dean shook his head, "Dude, you have no idea how much that girl cares about you. Yeah, you hurt her, and yeah, she's probably going to be pissed for a while. Hell, _I'm_ pissed at you for it and you're my _brother_," he sighed, "But she _loves _you man, for whatever reason, she does, you just gotta…you gotta try and show her you're sorry and that you love her too. You've gotta prove that to her."

Sam nodded, looking absently out the window. Dean smiled to himself at how Sam didn't deny what he'd said, that was all the proof he needed that his brother still loved the girl in his arms.

"Anyway," Sam cleared his throat, "These powers...it's playing with fire. I'm done with them," Dean looked at him, uncertainty in his eyes, he'd heard this all before, "I'm done with everything."

"Really?" he asked slowly. Sam nodded, "Well, that's a relief. Thank you."

Sam scoffed, "Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for _you_. Or for the angels or…" he glanced at Michelle a moment, "…for anybody. This is _my_ choice."

Dean looked back at his brother, seeing him staring at Michelle again. For some reason, he doubted Sam wasn't at least doing it for someone.

A/N: Go Dean! You punch him! How many of you wanted to punch Sam too? Trust me, I certainly did and I had to write it! Poor Michelle, having to hear that, having him say that to her. But I loved how Castiel was there for her (even more questions now). I sort of see this as, he said something terrible in anger and felt guilty, then to have her life threatened by Jack, nearly losing her...might have made him realize that despite what happened, he still does care for her. But what will happen now that he's said that to her? How will things work between him and Michelle because of it? We'll find out :)


	6. Monster Movie

Monster Movie

The Impala drove through a small town, Dean driving with Sam reading a file with a flashlight in the passenger's seat, Michelle sitting in the back, making notes in a journal, Sam's laptop open on her lap.

"The radio around here sucks," Dean commented, reaching down to click the radio off. He looked over at Sam, "Come on man, jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead victim with a gnawed on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire."

"No, no I agree," Sam mumbled, distracted, "It's a hell of a case."

"A little more gusto please."

"It's just…the world is coming to an end, things are a little complicated you know," Sam slammed the folder shut.

"It may not," Michelle commented, "We save enough seals and the angels keep an eye out, things'll be fine."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, it is or it isn't, either way we can't save the world, ok? I mean, not today anyway. But, what we _can_ do is chop off some vamp's heads. Come on man, it's like the good old days, an honest to goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters…" Michelle coughed, "…and a Davidson…got back to tackling a…a straightforward, black and white case."

Michelle shook her head at him, smiling.

Sam sighed and shut the flashlight off, the only light in the car being from the laptop. Sam glanced over at her, "How's…how's your head?" he asked hesitantly.

Things had been strained between them recently. He'd blown up at her and said things he truly regretted now, but it was too late to take them back. She'd been a bit distant, understandably so, but he'd been trying, _really_ trying to get back on her good side. He didn't like her being angry with him. He'd gone four months, almost five, without her and built up a lot of hate and anger and resentment, but always, in the back of his mind, was the deep need he always felt to be near her. It grew to be almost painful over the months, especially when he'd try to sleep. He always awoke to find himself clutching a pillow to his chest as though it had been Michelle wrapped in his arms as he'd grown so accustomed to while she'd hunted with them. Even with Ruby sharing a bed with him occasionally, he never reached out to her, never cuddled her to him.

Having her there with them, with _him_, but not being as close was tearing him apart. He didn't like the distance between them. The first time he'd seen her, back in Bobby's house, he'd wanted nothing more than to run to her and grab hold of her, and possibly handcuff her to him so she'd never leave again, but…then he was angry, and he'd been angry for a while, angry that he'd forgiven her so easily for abandoning him.

"It's fine," Michelle replied, not looking up, but reaching a hand to trace a thin scar along the hairline of her right temple. When they'd faced Jack Montgomery, he'd thrown her into the wall and then slammed her head against a framed picture, knocking her out. She hadn't woken till the next morning, which was good as she's slept through them stitching her up. They'd tried to do it as quickly and neatly as possible, but their work was nowhere near as neat as hers, they claimed it was because she had smaller hands. She firmly believed it was because she was a girl and girls just naturally were better than boys at everything.

That was a bad memory. They'd gone after Jack's wife to try and talk to her about the possibility of her being pregnant...only to find out two days later that she had been pregnanty, but seeing her husband turn into that...thing...had driven her to get an abortion.

"Thanks for asking Sam," Michelle's voice drifted over to him. He saw her smile just a bit and that was enough for him, for now. One day, he'd make it up to her. He'd take Dean's advice and prove to her that he _did_ love her, more than anything.

~8~

Polka music was playing as they walked down the streets the next day, women and men gathering around dressed in lederhosens and the like. It was Oktoberfest and people were taking it to the extreme.

The trio got out of the Impala, dressed in their suits, ready to investigate the vampire.

"You know we still gotta see the new 'Raiders' movie," Dean commented.

"Saw it," Sam stated.

"Without me?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"You were in Hell," Sam deadpanned.

"That's no excuse!" Dean argued, eyeing him.

"Fresh German Pretzels!" a vendor shouted, walking by, "Pretzels!"

"Think we can get some?" Michelle asked.

"Pretzels!" was the answer she got from Dean as he turned around and went after the pretzels, forgetting all about the movie argument.

Sam shook his head at his brother before glancing at Michelle, "So…you like pretzels?"

She glanced up at him, a bit hesitant, but smiled nonetheless, "Just 'Fresh German Pretzels!'" she mimicked the vendor, "My parents were German, so I sort of grew up with some German foods, my Oma made _the best_ homemade pretzels."

"I thought your dad was French?" Dean asked, walking back to them with the pretzels, handing them some.

"He was, but only on his father's side, so he was half and half," Michelle explained, taking a bite, smiling wider, "My mom was full German, so I'm mostly German and a little French."

"Guten Tag," another woman walked by, towards the bar.

Dean watched her go, catching her name tag reading 'Jamie,' before smirking, "Guten Tag yourself."

The woman looked over her shoulder at them and nodded her greeting, walking past a man with a badge.

"Hmm, looks like that's our man," Sam nodded to the man, the sheriff.

"Sheriff Deitrich," Michelle greeted as they walked over to him.

"Are you the guys from the Fed?" the sheriff eyed them.

"Agents Angus," Sam introduced as they pulled out their badges, he nodded to Dean, "Agent Young," and then to Michelle, "And Agent McKinnon. We called ahead about your uh…problem."

"Right, um…" the sheriff looked around at the tourists before clearing his throat, "Right, um…uh…I'll tell you what, why don't we talk this out away from the crowd huh?"

They nodded and followed him a few blocks away to the city morgue. The sheriff led them over to a row of metal doors and opened one, pulling out the body slab and removing the sheet to show them the victim's head and shoulders.

"Marisa Wright, 26, just down from Larkin for the fest," the sheriff informed them, "Terrible, just terrible. It's the last thing this town needs in peak tour season."

"Definitely the last thing Marisa Wright needed," Sam nodded.

Dean leaned over to tilt the head to the side, revealing two puncture marks on the side of her neck. He frowned at that, vampires had two sets of teeth, one that came down to feed, not just two fangs. This clearly wasn't a vampire.

"What the hell?" he asked out loud. Sam and Michelle looked over to see the wounds and frowned as well.

"Yeah, you got me, I mean, this killer's some kind of Grade-A wacko right?" the sheriff shook his head, "I mean, some Satan-worshiping, Anne Rice-reading, gothic, psycho, vampire-wannabe."

"Sheriff, in your report you mentioned a witness?" Michelle brought up, they needed to get an ID on the monster and fast.

"Well, I wish'd I didn't, but the witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer, not exactly what you'd call reliable."

~8~

The sheriff told them that Ed Brewer could be found lurking around the local bar, drinking, so they headed on over. They walked into to see Jamie working as a barmaid. Dean nudged Sam and nodded in Jamie's direction before heading over to her, leaning on the bar.

Michelle rolled her eyes, earning a small laugh from Sam as they headed over as well.

"I remember you," Jamie smiled as they joined Dean.

"And I remember you…" Dean gave her a charming smile, "Jamie, I never forget a pretty…everything."

"Oh…" Jamie raised an eyebrow, twisting the towel in her hand as he flirted.

"We're looking for Ed Brewer," Michelle cut in, trying in vain to keep Dean from thinking with his pants.

"What do you want with Ed?" Jamie asked.

They pulled out their badges and flashed them at her, "Well, we are uh…we're Federal Agents," Dean told her, "Mr. Brewer was witness to a serious crime, we just need to…"

"Wait a minute, you're a _Fed_?" Jamie cut in as Dean shrugged, "Wow, you don't come on like a Fed…" she cleared her throat, "Seriously?"

Dean leaned more onto the bar, resting on one elbow, "I'm a maverick, ma'am. A rebel with a badge. One thing I don't play by? The rules."

Dean winked as Sam pulled him back, "Ok maverick, um…so where can we find Mr. Brewer?"

Jamie pointed over to the corner of the room where a man with a large beerstein was sitting in a booth.

"Thank you," Michelle smiled, walking over to the booth with the boys.

Sam and Dean slid in while Michelle remained standing, just in case the jittery man made a run for it.

"I told the cops everything I saw," Ed began quickly when they took their seats and flashed their badges, "No one believes me, why should you be any different?"

"Believe me Mr. Brewer, we're different," Michelle assured him.

"I spoke the God's honest truth, and now I'm the town joke."

"Marisa Wright's murder is no joke to us, and we wanna hear everything," Sam said seriously, "No matter how strange it may seem."

"We have a lot of experience with strange," Dean added.

Ed nodded his head, taking a sip of the stein and gave them a thumb's up, "It was just after midnight, I just left here and, like I do every night, I cut through the park on the way home. At first I thought it was a…a couple kissing, but she was struggling too much. And this man, he was, well…he was biting her neck."

"Can you describe her assailant?" Michelle inquired, jotting his story down on a notepad.

"Oh, it was a vampire."

"Ok, right, and by that you mean…" Dean trailed off, they'd met a lot of vampires in their time.

"You know…uh…a vampire," Ed hissed, trying to mimic something, the trio looked skeptical.

"Uh huh…" Dean nodded slowly.

"Yeah," Ed sighed.

"So, he…he looked like…"

"He looked like a _vampire_. You know, with the fangs, and the slicked back hair, and the fancy cape, and the little medallion thingy on the…uh ribbon."

"You mean like a Dracula?" Michelle frowned, it fit the description of the old movie version of Dracula.

"Exactly!" Ed's eyes widened as he realized that was _exactly_ who the attacker looked like, "Like a Dracula. Right down to the accent."

"The accent?" Sam looked more than a bit amused, but when Ed looked at him accusingly, he straightened his face to look more serious, "What did he say?"

"You know, something like…" Ed threw up his hand, miming the old Dracula holding a cape in front of his face, "'Stay away mortal! The night is mine!'" the trio were speechless, "You _do_ believe me, don't you?"

"Of course Mr. Brewer," Michelle replied, the boys looked at her, shocked at how serious she looked, "You wouldn't believe how many copycat killers are out there, or even how far from reality they go to get away with it."

"Oh thank God!" Ed smiled, relieved, taking another gulp of his beer.

"Uh…that's right," Sam nodded, "There have been even stranger killings than this, believe me."

"Thank you for your time Mr. Brewer," Dean nodded, motioning for Sam to get up so he could get out.

He walked over to the bar, Michelle and Sam giving Ed their number in case, before following him.

"So, you got a beer back there for me?" Dean asked Jamie as he reached the bar.

"I don't know Agent Young, you off duty?" Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"And then some," Dean smirked.

Jamie laughed and went off to get the beer as Sam and Michelle reached him. Michelle picked up the napkin with a lipstick stain on it from one of the other waitresses before tossing it back on the bar.

"So, what do you think hmm?" Dean asked them, "Goth-psycho-vampire-wannabe, right? Copycat killer?"

"Definitely not our kind of case," Sam nodded.

"Agreed, but who cares," Dean smirked, leading them over to a booth, "Room's paid for and it's Oktoberfest, come on brother, beer and bar wenchs…"

"I'm pretty sure women today don't react well to the whole 'wench' thing, Dean," Sam shook his head at his brother.

Dean gave Sam a look, before turning to face Jamie pouring a beer, "Hey bar wench! Where's that beer?"

"Coming up, good sir," Jamie smiled, playing along.

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean, who was smirking, "Dude, _Oktoberfest_!"

"We should stick around," Michelle said suddenly.

"For Oktoberfest?" Sam eyed her, "I didn't really think that was your thing."

"It's not. But calling it a copycat made me think of something, what if it's a shapeshifter?"

The boys stared at her, actually considering that it _could _be a shapeshifter, "But this isn't usually how they kill, you know?" Sam said slowly, recalling the last time he hadn't truly thought it was a creature she claimed it was.

"I mean," Dean continued for his brother, "The shapeshifters we encountered were all torture and destruction…this seems almost amateurish…"

They waited for her to explode at them, calling them dicks and such, but it never came. She sighed, leaning back, "You could be right…"

"Really?" Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, he was_ not _expecting that. Michelle was not one to give up so easily...

Michelle nodded, "It _does_ seem amateurish, especially the fang marks, the old school Dracula…"

The boys were in shock, whenever they hunted and came across something they weren't sure of, more often than not, Michelle was correct in her guesses on what it was, and even when she was wrong she _defended_ herself. It was that thought that prompted Sam to speak.

"We should stick around," he agreed, "It could be another sort of creature for all we know."

She looked up at him, smiling a bit at his defense of her.

"There you go," Jamie placed a beer in front of Dean and turned to the other two, "What can I get ya?"

Sam went to speak but Dean cut him off, "Oh Michelle doesn't drink, neither does he, but he's Christian Scientist, yeah, doesn't even take aspirin, he's a real drag on stakeouts."

Jamie chuckled at that, "You're funny."

Dean leaned forward, giving her his most charming smile, "Well, I'm a lot more than that, I'd love to get a chance to show you the rest," Sam rolled his eyes as Michelle groaned at his obvious attempt at a pickup line, "What time do you get off?"

"Ha ha, like I said, _funny_," and with that Jamie walked away, not seeming interested in Dean at all, much to the amusement of Sam and Michelle. Dean's shocked face was more than enough to get them laughing.

"Man, it is time to right some wrongs," Dean sighed.

"Come again?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Well, look at me, I mean, I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right? No bullet wounds, knife cuts, none of the off angle fingers from all the breaks, I mean my hide is as smooth as a baby's bottom, which leads me to conclude, sadly, that my virginity is intact."

"What?" Michelle almost choked on air at the absurd conversation they were about to have while Sam looked on in disbelief.

"I have been re-hymenated," Dean said seriously.

"Re-hy…" Sam laughed at that, "Please!"

"Dean maybe angels can pull you out of Hell, but _no one_ could do that," Michelle agreed, shaking her head at Dean.

"I have been re-hymenated," he repeated, "And the dude will not abide."

"Alright dude, well…" Sam paused as Dean looked at the girls walking around, not paying attention to him, "You go do whatever you gotta do, and I'm gonna go back to the room and get some sleep."

"I think I might head out too," Michelle added.

Dean looked up to see her tired appearance, the bags under her eyes, and raised his glass to them as they left. He frowned, watching them go, Michelle had been taking little naps randomly during the day, but her cell phone always went off, waking her up after only about a half hour. He knew she was trying to get as much sleep as she could before nightmares set in. He didn't know how long she'd be able to keep that up though.

She was wearing out and fast.

~8~

The next day the trio got word from the sheriff that another attack had happened that night, this time though, it seemed like a werewolf was involved from the report.

They quickly made their way to town and sought out the witness, Anna Marie, whose boyfriend had been attacked. They found her sitting in a small gazebo and drinking beer from a big plastic cup, shaken. She'd just finished telling them where she'd been and what she'd been doing and about the thing that came at them.

"…and then it just…it just tore Rick into little pieces," Anna Marie finished.

"Ma'am we understand how hard this is," Michelle commented, sitting next to the woman, a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Can you describe the creature?"

"Oh…" she took another swig, "It was a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Mhmm."

"You're sure?"

"Oh yeah, with the furry face and the black nose and the claws and…and the torn up pants and shirt. Like from the old movies."

"Well, ok, so…thank you for your time," Dean nodded, motioning for them to leave. They walked quickly back through the town and over to the morgue to examine the body for the telltale signs of a werewolf attack.

"First a Dracula, and now a full on movie-time wolf man, what the hell is going on in this town?" Dean asked them as they opened the door and pulled out the body slab. Michelle unzipped the body bag, both Sam and Dean reeling back from the remains.

"Oh…" Michelle cringed.

"Whoo…" Sam grimaced.

"Damn!" Dean covered his mouth.

"Alright, whatever did this wasn't a psycho-wannabe," Sam poked the remains with a pen, picking up a torn apart piece of flesh and muscle, tossing it aside.

"Look at those bite marks, right down to the bone…and deeper," Michelle leaned over, pushing a remain away with a gloved hand.

"Strong enough to tear a healthy man apart from limb from limb, it _could_ be a werewolf," Dean nodded.

"Yeah, except look," Sam pointed to something.

"Heart's still there," Michelle commented.

"Yeah, in one piece. They _never_ leave the heart behind."

"Thus I reiterate, what the hell is going on?" Dean repeated.

"Well, I was hoping you boys could tell me," the sheriff said, walking in with a file in his hands, he held up a paper, "I just got a rush job back from the lab, from those fibers we found on the body," he held up a plastic bag with some hairs in it, "K-9, wolf hairs."

Sam looked at Dean and Michelle, trying to think of some sort of explanation, but gave up, "I'm getting a headache…" Dean rubbed his forehead.

~8~

They were back in the bar, eating some lunch, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"I don't know," Dean sighed, "It looks like we've stumbled onto a midnight showing of Dracula meets Wolfman. Is that it?"

"I don't know," Sam agreed, "I mean, Wolfman seems real enough, makes Dracula seem a little less impossible I guess."

"Yeah, but werewolves don't grow wolf hair, that's just a myth," Michelle countered.

"Yeah…" Sam sighed.

"So what?" Dean looked at them, "We've got a…a vampire and a werewolf 'Monster Mashing' this town?"

"Uh, looks like you guys are staying a while," Jamie commented, placing a beer down in front of Dean, "I heard about Rick Deacon."

"Yeah, this case just got weird enough for uh, our department," Dean nodded.

"Huh, well beers are on me," she smiled, starting to leave before glancing back at Dean, "And just so you know, I get off at midnight tonight."

Dean nodded at the other bartender at the bar, who he recognized to be Lucy, blotting her lipstick, "Oh, it's not another girls' night out?"

"Doesn't have to be," Jamie smirked.

"Ok then, I'll see you tonight," Dean smiled at her.

"Ok then," Jamie agreed, walking off.

Sam and Michelle looked at Dean with a smirk each since he appeared to be about to celebrate, but then turned to them seriously, "Hey, do you think this Dracula can turn into a bat?" Sam's brow furrowed in question while Michelle face palmed, "That'd be cool."

He took a swig of his beer, lowering the glass as Michelle burst out laughing at the sight of Dean with foam all over his face, right up to his nose.

He smirked to himself, Michelle laughed, mission accomplished.

~8~

Dean looked around as he stood outside Michelle's motel room that night. He and Sam had just gotten a call from the sheriff, another attack had just happened and he requested their presence at the local museum as soon as possible. He'd offered to go and get Michelle while Sam got ready, since he'd been half-asleep at the time.

He peeked through the window curtains which were semi-open to reveal Michelle sitting on top of the covers of her bed, reading a book with her journal out. He sighed, she wasn't sleeping, that much was for sure.

He stood up and knocked on the door, waiting only a moment before she opened the door.

"Hey," she greeted, stepping back to let him in, but he didn't move.

"You still awake?" he asked her, eyeing her curiously.

She gave him a look, she knew exactly what he was getting at, "Hard to have nightmares when you're not asleep long enough to get them."

"Harder to stay awake when you're not asleep long enough," he shot back.

She sighed, "What's going on?"

"Sheriff called, we gotta meet him at the museum," he informed, just as Sam stepped through their door.

She nodded and grabbed her coat, ready to go, "Another attack?"

"Sounds like it," Dean remarked as they got in the Impala.

They arrived at the museum in only a few short minutes due to the smallness of the town. They got there just as the coroner wheeled out another body, covered in a sheet. They eyed each other before walking into the museum, following the police walking in and out, till they found the sheriff instructing his people on how to conduct a search. Since they were in the Egyptian section, they didn't have to guess what sort of monster had attacked this time, which was why they gathered around a mummy's sarcophagus and began examining it.

Dean was looking inside it and around the bottom while Sam inspected the lid and Michelle looked at the back.

"The sarcophagus isn't ancient," Sam scoffed, peeling something off the lid and showing it to Dean. It was a sticker that said 'THE FX SHOP PROPHOUSE PHILADELPHIA, PA,' "It's from a prop house in Philly."

"And the base is from China," Michelle added, kneeling behind it, "There's a mark at the bottom that says 'Made in China.'"

"Well, it goes well with the…" Dean pulled out an aluminum bucket emitting fog as Michelle stood to join them, "Bucket of dry ice he was keeping in it."

"Is he making his own special effects?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a mummy with good sense of showmanship."

"This is stupid," Sam sighed and Michelle couldn't help but agree.

"Damn it, Jamie…I'm late," he stood quickly, "You're good here with the Mummy and the crazy?"

"Yeah…" Michelle nodded and then Dean was off, leaving them to deal with the sheriff and examine the body.

It only took them about a half hour to finish getting all the details, when they got a call from Dean shouting at them to meet him at the bar. Apparently Dracula had attacked him and Jamie. They made their way across town, getting a ride from a cruiser as Dean had taken the Impala. They caught sight of Dean and Jamie quickly in the semi-empty bar, sitting at a table with a bottle of beer between them.

"Hey," Dean greeted as they sat across from them.

"You guys alright?" Michelle asked, noticing Jamie was pretty shaken.

"Yeah, I think so," he glanced at Jamie and then back at Sam and Michelle, "And I think I know what's going on," he pulled a rag from beside him and tossed it onto the table.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, eyeing the rag.

"Part of it at least," Dean nodded at the rag.

Sam reached out and flipped the towel open to see an ear sitting there. Jamie looked away, partially disgusted, as Sam looked away as well, grossed out. Michelle just reached forward and poked it with her finger.

"Uh…the ear part?" Sam frowned.

"Ripped it off of Dracula's head," Dean nodded. He glanced at Michelle, "Feel familiar to you?"

"Skin of a shapeshifter," Michelle confirmed.

"Oh man," Sam grumbled.

"Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee," Dean sighed, "Of course this one's a whole new buckets of crazy. Oh, and uh…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out Dracula's medallion as Sam covered the ear back up, "This, I uh, pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon."

"It's a costume rental," Sam said, reading the inscription on the back 'THE FX SHOP PROPHOUSE PHILADELPHIA, PA.'

"All three monsters, the uh Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Mummy, all the same critter, which means we need to catch this freak before he 'Creature from the Black Lagoon''s somebody," Dean remarked.

"So you guys are like Mulder and Scully, or the Men in Black or something, and the X-Files are real?" Jamie asked, watching the exchange, a bit scared.

"No, the X-Files is a TV show, this is real," Dean chuckled, not helping.

"Ok, so the stagecraft, the costuming…it's like he's trying to reenact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders," Michelle commented.

"Wait a second, who the hell is Mina?" Dean asked out of nowhere.

"Mina?" Sam shook his head, not understanding.

"Yeah, it's what he called Jamie, and he called me Mr. Harker," Dean shook his head as well.

"They're characters from the movies and the novels," Michelle recited, "Mina, Dracula's intended bride, Harker the fiancé that stands in the way."

"Let me guess," Dean commented, "Your training included reading bad novels about monsters?"

"No, I did that for myself," Michelle smirked, "I wanted to see how wrong they were about the real monsters."

Sam shook his head at his brother and Michelle before turning to Jamie, "It seems like he fixating on you, like he sees you as his bride," he got them back on topic.

"Oh, lucky me," Jamie poured herself a drink.

"But to fixate on you," Michelle continued Sam's thought, "The shifter has to have seen you before or been around you."

"Jamie, has anybody strange come to town, even anyone that's taken a specific notice of you," Dean turned to her.

"I don't know Dean, it's Oktoberfest, I'm a bartender, there's lots of people, uh…I…" she paused in thought, "Wait a second, there is Ed."

"Ed Brewer, Ed?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, he moved here about a month ago, Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He comes in almost every night, but you know, I don't think he's the type of guy…"

"Where does Ed live?" Dean began.

"I don't know, but he works at the old movie theater, I think he's the projectionist there."

"Dean, I don't think…" Michelle began but Dean just motioned for Sam and Michelle to go check him out.

"Take care of Mina?" Sam asked his brother.

"Yup," he confirmed as Sam led Michelle out of the bar.

~8~

Sam and Michelle walked in silence, but unlike recently, it wasn't an awkward one, but almost semi-comfortable. They reached the Goeth Theater and walked inside, just to hear some sort of organ playing upstairs. Sam pulled out his gun and checked the clip as he began to walk up the stairs, glancing back to see Michelle already had her gun out too. They walked through the theater, checking the empty seats, until they came to a silhouette of a man playing the organ behind the big screen. Michelle nodded towards a door that led backstage and they snuck around to see Ed playing the eerie music. But suddenly the music changed to be more upbeat. They looked at each other a moment when they saw Ed sitting there in his underwear playing it.

They stepped forward and Ed suddenly noticed them and turned around just as Sam pressed him against the organ, holding a gun in his face.

"Whoa, you...F.B.I. an…and what did I…" Ed began, but Sam cut him off.

"Shut up!"

"Sam…" Michelle tried.

"Ok? You know what you did," Sam continued, glaring at the man.

"W-wh-what?" Ed stuttered.

"I know what you are," Sam threatened.

"Sam," Michelle tried again.

"I'm not anything, I just like to play the Casio," Ed stuttered.

"Had time to grow the ear back, huh?" Sam glanced at Ed's ear.

"What?" Ed asked, confused.

"Sam!" Michelle shouted as Sam reached out to pull on the ear, but it didn't come off.

"Ow!" Ed yelped, "Ow. Ow! Ouch, ouch!"

"It's supposed to…come off…" Sam looked confused.

"No, it's _not_!" Ed replied, looking at him as though he were crazy.

"He's not the shapeshifter," Michelle finally managed to get his attention.

"What?" Sam looked over at her.

She rolled her eyes walking forward and pulling Sam away from Ed. She reached out and picked up a small pendent the man was wearing, a small silver cross.

"Silver," she stated, turning to Sam who now was trying to smile awkwardly at Ed, very embarrassed by what he'd done. She sighed and turned back to Ed, "You'll have to excuse my partner, he's usually the one who plays 'bad cop' and he was seriously misinformed this time."

"It's…it's ok…" Ed remarked, still watching Sam warily.

"We'll just…we're gonna go now," Sam cleared his throat, nodding for Michelle to head out with him.

"So…" Sam continued as soon as they got out side, "If he's not the shapeshifter, who is?"

"No idea," Michelle commented, "But we better tell Dean."

~8~

They entered the bar and looked around for Dean and Jamie, but didn't find them where they had left them.

"Dean, hey listen, uh, Ed is not our guy, um I'm guessing you went home with Jamie, so just give me a call ok?" Sam asked as he pulled out his phone.

"Sam!" Michelle called, kneeling by a booth, he walked over and saw some broken glass on the floor with three glasses on the table. Michelle stood up, holding a napkin with a lipstick ring on it, "It's Lucy!"

Sam's eyes widened as he realized it probably _was_ the other bartender, "We've got to find her."

Michelle nodded and ran to the backroom, Sam following after her, not too sure what she was doing. She searched the various papers on a desk until she found a binder, "Employee files," she muttered to herself, flipping through the book till she found Lucy's page and ripped it out for the address.

She handed it to Sam and they were out the door. They ended up running halfway across town to the house listed on the paper. They were half-expecting to find an old mansion-looking house but the one they came across was very normal.

Sam knelt by the front door and began to pick the lock, not wanting to risk alerting the shapeshifter to their presence by kicking down the door. He glanced back to see Michelle holding her gun, loading it with some silver bullets from her jacket pockets.

As soon as he got the door open, he grabbed his own gun and put it out before him, ready to shoot as he and Michelle made their way through the house. Sam began to head towards the stairs when Michelle reached out and grabbed his jacket, pulling him back.

"The basement," she whispered to him, "It's always the basement in the movies."

Sam nodded, seeing her point, and they began opening the doors around them, trying to find the one that would lead downstairs. They finally found it and crept down into what looked like a mad scientist's lab. And, standing in the middle of the room, was Dean, dressed in a lederhosen, strapped to a board.

Michelle couldn't help the snorting laugh that escaped her at the sight as Sam ran to his brother and began prying the restraints free with a small crowbar he'd found.

"Oh thank God, just in the nick of time," Dean smiled at them, "Guy was about to Frankenstein me."

"Hey there Hansel," Michelle greeted as she joined Sam, working on the leather straps holding Dean to the planks.

"Shut up!" Dean rounded on her as Sam handed him a knife to defend himself with.

They walked towards a set of heavy looking doors, Michelle eyed the door before giving Dean a meaningful look. Dean nodded slightly at her before giving Sam the 'go ahead' sign with his hands. Sam sighed and kicked the door forcefully, only for his foot to get stuck in what he now realized was a simple wooden prop door, one single prop door painted to look like a seet of heavy doors.

He looked over his shoulder to see Michelle and Dean leaning on each other as they shook with silent laughter at his expense. He rolled his eyes, pulling his foot out and then kicking it once more, breaking it down, "Let's go!" he shouted at them, sobering them up.

They stepped through the pathway, heading up some stairs until they came to a bedroom, crashing through a similar prop door to get in. Jamie was passed out on a bed as Sam walked towards her to check on her. Dracula suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him, dragging him around and throwing him backwards, through a 'brick' wall.

"You will never win, Van Helsing!" he shouted at Sam as Dean ran at him, but Dracula turned and grabbed his arm, holding him as he landed a punch on Dean, "And you, Harker, now you die!"

Dean quickly kneed him and pulled free, "How about now you shut the hell up!"

Dracula sent a swift punch at Dean, knocking him down. As soon as Dean fell to the floor two shots rang out.

Dracula looked down at his chest to see that the wounds had gone through him, "Silver?" he asked himself out loud, looking up to see Michelle standing across from him, her gun raised, "Was beauty that killed the beast," he staggered, falling backwards into a chair, seeing Jamie waking up from the sound, "No Mina, don't weep, perhaps this is how the movie should end," he sighed and closed his eyes, dramatically dying before their eyes.

"Hey guys?" Michelle asked, getting their attention, she smiled a bit, "I told you it was a shapeshifter."

It was silent for a moment before the boys burst out laughing.

~8~

Jamie and Dean stood on the sidewalk outside the bar, kissing, while Sam and Michelle stood beside them, waiting awkwardly.

"Well, thank you G-Man," Jamie smiled, pulling away as Dean chuckled, "You have been a great service to your country."

"Oh, yes, I'm very,_ very _patriotic," Dean smirked.

Sam sighed, shaking his head at them, drawing Dean's attention. He looked over to see the two standing there, trying to force grins on their faces, so he just sighed and turned to get one more kiss from Jamie, "Bye," he pulled away from her.

"Bye," she smiled as he turned and walked off with Sam and Michelle, "You guys…" she called and they turned around, "Saved my life you know, so…thanks."

She nodded at them and walked away, the three of them watching her for a moment.

"I like her," Michelle smiled.

"Feels good to be back on the job, doesn't it?" Dean smirked at them.

"Yeah, it does," Sam admitted as Michelle nodded.

"The hero gets the girl, the monster gets the gank. All in all? Happy ending with a happy ending no less."

"Real classy Dean," Sam remarked as Dean wiped his mouth from the kisses.

"Hey, all I'm saying is the shifter may have had a point you know? It'd be nice if…if life was movie simple," Michelle nodded in agreement, "Although if I was turning life into a movie I wouldn't do this the-three-musketeers-meet-the-monster crap."

"Yeah," Michelle nodded, "It depends on the movie."

"I know what you'd pick," Sam eyed his brother.

"Ha, no you don't," Dean laughed.

"Yeah, I do," he replied confidently.

"No, you don't. You don't."

"'Porky's 2.'"

Dean looked surprised, "What?"

"You heard me," Sam smiled victoriously, walking away.

"Lucky guess," Dean muttered, following after as Michelle shook her head with a smile, having no idea what they were talking about, "You seem to be in a better mood," he continued, turning to look at Michelle.

She shrugged, "Despite how insane this all was, it was kind of fun…one of the more relaxing hunts I've been on," he smiled at her, glad to know she was starting to loosen up a bit more.

As they got in the Impala and drove off.

"Um…guys?" Michelle said hesitantly after a moment of silence, "Would…would it be alright if I took your couch tonight?" they looked over their shoulders at her, "I'll pay for the next couple rooms since you both had to split the pay two ways instead of three the last few times."

"You don't have to…" Sam began.

"I do," she cut in, "I mean, if the couch is ok with you…"

Dean smiled, "Glad to have you back."

She smiled a bit at that, it didn't seem like it would be that awkward and, she had been sleeping a little better, testing herself every night to see how many nightmares she'd have, if any, or how long she could sleep. Slowly, during the time in town, she'd been able to sleep more. She didn't wake up screaming, but she did jerk awake. If that happened and she was on the couch, it shouldn't be too bad. And the boys made her feel safe.

~8~

Dean rolled over in his bed, slowly waking up. He frowned, wondering what woke him and looked around. The room was dark, no lights on, no TV or radio playing…then what?

His questions were answered moments later when he heard a small whimper from the other side of the couch, followed by a sound of pain and creaking springs from tossing and turning.

Michelle!

He quickly got off the bed and walked around to the other side of the couch to see Michelle tossing and turning, sweating up a storm as she twisted, her face contorting in pain.

"Michelle," he whispered, reaching out to shake her gently, "Wake up. It's a nightmare…wake up!"

She jerked awake, breathing heavily, terror in her eyes along with tears. He sat quickly on the couch as Michelle hunched over and began to cry quietly. He pulled her against him and held her, trying to comfort her as she had done for him so often before.

A/N: Poor Michelle, her confidence seems like it's shot doesn't it? There's a reason for that. But aww, how cute was Dean, being there for Michelle, she's definitely not going to be very happy with the fact that he witnessed her having a nightmare...but I will say this, they'll both be even by the end of the next chapter.


	7. Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever

Rock Ridge, Colorado had a very interesting obituary, one that Dean just couldn't wait to get on, which was why they were currently driving into the town. Apparently a man, healthy as a horse, died of a heart attack. Sam wasn't too sure how much that figured into the supernatural, but Michelle knew better. Dean was just trying to find a hunt as quickly as possible. He seemed to think that hunting would help get her mind off of whatever was haunting her dreams, that getting back to something normal…well, normal for them…might help her move on. She'd fallen asleep in his arms last night after being woken up by him from a nightmare. Neither spoke of it and Sam didn't know as he slept through the whole thing and when Dean was sure Michelle was back asleep he'd gone back to his own bed. She was thankful Dean hadn't said anything, it was hard enough for her to know he'd seen her experiencing nightmares firsthand, she didn't want to be seen as weak.

They pulled up to the town morgue and were taken to see the body.

"Agent Tyler, Agent Perry, Agent Whitford," the coroner opened the body bag, "Meet Frank O'Brien."

Sam, Dean, and Michelle looked down at the body, dressed in their suits, "He died of a heart attack, right?" Michelle asked.

"Three days ago."

"But O'Brien was 44 years old and, according to this…" Sam flipped through a few papers, "A marathon runner."

"Everybody drops dead sooner or later," the coroner shrugged, "It's why I got job security."

"Yeah, but Frank kicked it here," Dean replied as Michelle looked over the file as well, "Now, just yesterday two perfectly healthy men bit it in Maumee. All heart attacks. You don't think that's strange?"

"Sounds like Maumee's problem to me. Why's the FBI give a damn, anyway?"

"We just want to see the results of Frank's autopsy," Michelle closed the file and looked up expectantly.

"What autopsy?"

"The one you're gonna do," Dean smirked.

The coroner sighed and went to get his equipment as Dean shot a victory smirk to Michelle and Sam, becoming serious when the coroner returned, with aprons and gloves for them to put on.

Once they were all prepared, the coroner picked up his scalpel and began making incisions.

"First dead body?" he asked, glancing up at them.

"Far from it," Dean shook his head.

"Oh, good. Because these suckers can get pretty ripe. Hey, uh, hand me those rib cutters, would you?"

Michelle reached down and picked up the cutters, handing them to the coroner who began to cut deeper. Sam looked a bit queasy while Michelle remained fairly stoic. Dean looked anywhere but where the coroner was cutting, namely at Frank's left hand, seeing a white line over his ring finger.

"Is that from a wedding ring?" Dean asked, nodding towards the hand, "I didn't think Frank was married."

"Ain't my department," the coroner shrugged.

"Any idea how he got these?" Sam lifted Frank's arm and turned it over to reveal deep scratches along it.

"You know what? When you drop dead, you actually tend to drop. Body probably got scraped up when it hit the ground…huh…" he trailed off.

"What?" Sam asked, putting the arm back down.

"Well, I…I can't find any blockages in any of the major arteries," the coroner explained as Dean scrunched up his face in disgust. The coroner cracked a rib, pulling out the heart and holding it up in his hands as Dean tried to look away. He turned back, but didn't really look at it, trying not to throw up, "Heart looks pretty damn healthy," he suddenly held it out to Dean, "Hold that a second, would you?"

Dean took a hold of it but stood completely still, staring at it in his hands. Sam and Michelle looked over at him, silently laughing, while the coroner continued to search. There was a squishing noise as Sam and Michelle were splashed with some sort of liquid.

"Oh, sorry," the coroner looked up at them, "Spleen juice."

Dean just looked at them, starting to smile at their shared pain.

~8~

After dealing with the coroner, the trio made their way to the police department to check in with their report of what happened. They had been sitting outside the reception area as a young officer stamped envelopes. The boys shifted uncomfortably, not having the best experience in stations, while Michelle sat calmly, reading one of the magazines that had been on the table. Suddenly a door across the room opened and the sheriff peeked out.

"Hell's bells, Linus, have you seen my..." the sheriff looked up to see Sam and Dean jump out of their chairs while Michelle stood as well, straightening out her jacket, "Who are they?"

"Federal agents. I uh…" Linus began.

"And you kept them waiting?"

"You, you said not to disturb…"

"Come on back," he called over to them, motioning them back to his office. They walked over, stopping when the sheriff held out a hand, "Shoes off."

Sam, Dean, and Michelle looked at each other but took off their shoes nonetheless. They waited a moment before the sheriff entered and shut the door behind them. He turned to Dean and held out a hand to him, "Al Britton," Dean shook the man's hand but didn't give a name back, "Good to meet you," the sheriff continued, shaking Michelle and Sam's hands.

"You too," Sam nodded.

"Likewise," Michelle greeted.

Al walked around to his desk and sat down, motioning for them to sit, and grabbing a bottle of hand sanitizer from his desk to use, "Ok," he poured some sanitizer as the trio watched, puzzled, "So…" he closed the lid and turned back to them, "What can I do for Uncle Sam?"

"Well, we're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien," Michelle began.

"We understand some of your men found his body," Sam continued.

"They did," he nodded sadly, "Me and Frank, we were friends. Hell, we were Gamecocks," Dean laughed a bit at that, becoming serious when Al gave him a look, "That's our softball team's name."

"Mhmm," Dean pushed his face in a firm line.

"They're majestic animals," Al continued, but none of them knew what to say, "I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got up the strength to go see him. Frank was...he was a good man."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "Big heart."

Sam scowled at his brother for the comment, "Before he died, did you notice Frank acting strange? Maybe scared of something?"

"Oh, hell, yeah," Al greed, "Real jumpy."

"Do you know what scared him?" Michelle asked.

"No. Wouldn't answer his phone. Finally, I sent some of my boys over to check on him, and well...you know the rest."

Al suddenly began to cough, holding one hand in front of his mouth as he grabbed for the sanitizer in another. As soon as he finished coughing, he sanitized.

Dean eyed the man oddly and looked at Michelle and Sam, mouthing, _What?_

They watched as he continued to sanitize, "So, why the feds give a crap? You don't really think there's a case here?"

"No," Sam said after a moment as Michelle nodded.

"No," Dean agreed, "It's uh, it's probably nothing. Just a heart attack."

"Thank you for your time," Michelle replied, standing and walking out of the station with the boys.

"No way that was a heart attack," Dean said as soon as they were outside.

"Definitely no way," Sam agreed.

"Three victims, all with those same red scratches, all went from jittery to terrified to dead within 48 hours," Michelle recited all they knew.

"Something scared them to death?" Dean looked at her.

Sam nodded, thinking the same thing, "Alright, so, what can do that?

"What can't?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"He's right," Michelle added, "Ghosts, vampires, chupacabra…it could be a hundred things."

"Yeah," Sam sighed, "So, we make a list and start crossing things off."

"Alright," Dean began, ready to start up, "Who's the last person to see Frank O'Brien alive?"

"His neighbor, Mark Hutchins," Michelle answered.

"Hang on, hang on, hey," Dean stopped them, looking up the road.

"What?" Sam asked, his brow furrowing.

"I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there," Dean remarked, eyeing the small group of young boys. Sam and Michelle looked over to see about four boys, two on bikes, just hanging around in front of the Impala, just having fun, probably no more than 12, barely 13. They looked at each other in question before turning back at Dean, each with an eyebrow raised, "Let's walk this way," Dean continued, turning and crossing the street, his eyes on the boys.

Sam and Michelle watched him go, both looking very confused.

~8~

At the Hutchins house, Sam, Michelle, and Dean were sitting in a living room, on a couch across from Mark, the last person to see their victim alive. He was sitting there with a large snake around his shoulders, which seemed to make Dean uncomfortable. He fidgeted in his seat as he looked around to see various frogs, snakes, lizards, and other creatures in cages and tanks around the room.

"Tyler, Perry, and Whitford," the guy smiled, "Just like Aerosmith."

"Funny how that works out," Michelle commented.

"Yeah, small world," Sam agreed before getting right to it, "So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?"

"Monday," he answered, "He was watching me from his window," he looked over at the window as did the trio, "I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Did you speak to him recently?" Michelle continued, "Did he seem different? Scared?"

"Oh, totally," Mark laughed, "He was freaking out."

Sam glanced over at Dean, who now looked very, _very_ unsettled, his eyes big as he kept looking back at the tanks.

"Do you know, uh...do you know what scared him?" Dean asked.

"Well, yeah," Mark nodded, "Witches."

"Witches?" Sam raised an eyebrow, glancing at Michelle, "Like..."

"Well, 'Wizard of Oz' was on TV the other night, right? And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him."

Sam and Michelle nodded slowly at that, Dean still fidgeting.

"Anything else scare him?" Michelle tried for a slightly more informative answer.

"Everything else scared him. Al-Qaida, ferrets, artificial sweetener," one of the animals made a noise and Dean jumped, looking around, freaked out, not unnoticed by Sam and Michelle, "Those pez dispensers with their dead little eyes," Mark continued, not noticing Dean, "Lots of stuff."

"So, tell me," Sam began, "What was Frank like?"

"I mean, he's dead, you know? I, ah, I don't want to hammer him, but...he got better."

"He got…better?" Michelle shook her head, not understanding.

"Well, in high school he was...he was a dick."

"…a dick?" Sam mimicked Michelle.

"Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together. Mine included."

"So he pissed a lot of people off," Dean cleared his throat, "You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't..." Mark trailed, looking back and forth at the three of them, "Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir," Michelle calmed him down.

"No," Mark sighed, "I don't think so. Like I said, he got better. And after what happened to his wife…"

"His wife?" Dean asked, exchanging a look with Michelle and Sam, "So he _was _married?"

Mark nodded, "She died about 20 years ago. Frank was really broken up about it," Dean smiled a little at that before looking at the snake around Mark's shoulders which Mark noticed, laughing, "Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for," he nodded his head towards Dean's shoulder where a large snake was slowly slithering next to Dean's head, "She smells fear."

Sam and Michelle's eyes widened as they watched Dean slowly turn his head to see the snake and turn away, breathing heavily, clearly scared. Sam had never seen him that freaked since they'd been stuck on a haunted plane. Dean looked over a Mark, trying to smile, but Mark just smirked as Marie slithered down Dean's thigh and hand and leg while Dean remained stiff, trying to keep from making any sudden movements.

~8~

As soon as that snake had gotten off of him, Dean was up and off the couch, thanking the man for his time before walking out and back to the Impala, Michelle and Sam following worriedly behind. They began scouting the town for more information about Frank until night had fallen. Dean was going to meet Sam and Michelle at Frank's where they had gone to investigate.

He was sitting in the driver's seat, looking at a paper, scratching his arm absently, when Sam opened the door, startling Dean in the process. Sam and Michelle looked over at him when he jumped as they moved to get in the car.

"Hey," Michelle greeted, "Any luck at the county clerk's office?"

"I'm not sure I'd call it luck," Dean remarked, handing Sam the paper, Michelle leaning forward to read over his shoulder, "Frank's wife, Jessie, was a manic-depressive. She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over, strung up in her motel room, suicide."

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Sam asked.

"No, Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi," he started the car and pulled away headed back towards the motel, "How was Frank's pad?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Clean," Sam sighed, "Searched it top to bottom."

"No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur," Michelle listed everything they'd looked for.

"So probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons," Dean nodded, "3 down and 97 to go."

"Yeah…" Sam trailed, looking down at the speedometer, "Dude, you're going 20."

"And?" Dean glanced up at him.

Sam looked back at Michelle, who was also looking at Dean oddly, "That's the speed limit," she told him.

"What, safety's a crime now?"

"Dude, where are you going?" Sam asked as they passed the motel, "That was our hotel."

"Sam, I'm not gonna make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic," Dean tensed, "I'm not suicidal," Sam and Michelle looked at him,_ very_ confused by this, Dean was _not_ acting like himself. He seemed to realize this too, "Did I just _say _that? That was kind of weird."

"Do you hear something?" Sam asked, randomly.

Michelle jumped a bit, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out the EMF, moving it back and forth before her, every time it fell in Dean's direction it went off.

"Am I haunted?" Dean nearly shouted frantically, "Am I haunted?!"

~8~

The next morning Sam walked over to the Impala, a box of donuts in his hand, having just gotten off the phone with Bobby. He looked up to see Michelle sitting in the passenger's seat of the Impala, 'Eye of the Tiger' playing over the speakers, with Dean laying back in the driver's seat, playing along with air-drums. He seemed a bit calmer this morning than he had last night. It had taken him and Michelle ten minutes to assure him he wasn't haunted and get him back to the motel. After a good night's rest, he seemed better, though Sam suspected it had something to do with Michelle being there with him. For all his knowledge of his brother, Michelle had an easier time calming him down than he did.

Sam tapped on the roof of the car, startling Dean, who actually made a noise and sat up, killing the music before getting out of the car with Michelle.

"Dude," he said, walking over to Sam, "Look at this," he held out his right arm where three scratch marks were present, resembling the ones on Frank's body, but not as deep.

"I just talked to Bobby," Sam told them.

"And?" Dean looked expectantly.

Sam handed him the box of donuts, "Um, well, you're not gonna like it," he frowned when Dean smelled the outside of the box and tossed it into the car.

"What?" Dean asked when he noticed his brother and Michelle looking back and forth from the donuts to him.

"It's ghost sickness," Sam said finally.

"Ghost sickness?" Dean raised an eyebrow, Sam nodded, "Oh, God, no."

"Yeah," Sam frowned.

"I don't even know what that is," Dean's eyes widened.

"Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes," Michelle informed, reciting the information before Sam could even open his mouth. Sam looked over at her, smiling in nostalgia, she always did that. He enjoyed not being the only know-it-all in the group again.

"Ok, get to the good stuff," Dean interrupted Sam's thoughts.

"Symptoms are you get anxious. And scared, then really scared, then your heart gives out."

"Yeah but we haven't seen a ghost in weeks."

"Well, I doubt you caught it from a ghost," Sam added, "Look, once a spirit infects that first person, ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a…a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey," Dean nodded, following along with Michelle.

"Right, get this," Sam pulled out a notepad with information they'd gathered on Frank, "Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament, which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

"Were they Gamecocks?"

"Cornjerkers."

"So, ghosts infected Frank," Michelle began, "He passed it on to the other guys, and…"

"I got it from his corpse?" Dean finished.

"Right," Sam nodded.

"So now what?" Dean swallowed, "I have 48 hours before I go insane and my heart stops?"

"More like 24."

"Super," Dean rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up.

"Yeah," Sam frowned.

"Well, why me? Why not you? Or you? I mean, you both got hit with the spleen juice."

"Yeah, um...you see, Bobby and I have a theory about that too," Sam hesitated, "Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

"Ok…" Dean shook his head, not understanding.

"They were all dicks?" Michelle guessed.

"So you're saying I'm a dick?" Dean raised an eyebrow, turning to her.

"No, no, no," Sam cut in, "It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor."

"I don't scare people," Dean argued.

"Right…" Michelle remarked sarcastically.

"Dean, all we do is scare people," Sam countered.

"Ok, well, then you're a dick too," Dean said, and then glanced at Michelle, "And you're a dick-ette."

"Am I?" she raised an eyebrow menacingly at him.

"Well you sure as hell scare me."

"Apparently, neither Michelle or I are dick-ish," Sam cut in once again.

"Whatever," Dean rolled his eyes, "How do we stop it?"

"We have to kill the ghost that started all this," Michelle answered, getting back to business.

Sam nodded, "We do that, the disease should clear up."

"You thinking Frank's wife?" Dean asked them.

Sam shrugged, "Who knows why she killed herself, you know? Hey, what are you doing waiting out here anyway?"

Dean looked away and up at the motel, before looking back down.

Michelle sighed, "Our room's on the fourth floor."

Sam raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, not really getting how that was important.

"It's…it's high…" Dean hesitated.

"I'll see if I can move us down to the first," Sam scoffed.

But Dean just sighed in relief, "Thanks."

"Sure," Sam nodded, walking away.

Dean got back in the Impala, lifting the box of donuts up and opening it. He glanced at the food for a moment before pushing them away, disgusted. Michelle frowned, seeing this, by now Dean would have been stuffing his face full of donuts.

~8~

Michelle sat in the new motel room with Dean, glancing up at him from time to time as he researched ghost sickness while Sam went off to try and look into Frank's wife. She was getting really worried as Dean kept glancing up at the clock on the wall, fidgeting, wiping his forehead, shaking his head as he tried to read, and coughing. She looked up when she heard him grunt and then stand up and smash the clock off the wall.

She was on her feet and at his side in an instant, checking to make sure he hadn't stabbed his hand on any of the glass or metal. Seeing he was ok in that respect, she looked up at him to see him breathing hard, "Are you ok?" she asked quietly.

He took a deep breath and let it out before nodding.

She smiled a bit, "Liar."

She led him over to the couch and sat him down, getting him a cold glass of beer to drink while she managed to collect the broken glass in a more cohesive pile for now. She brushed her hands off and got back onto the couch, sitting next to Dean, who had his feet on the table and was holding up a book in his other hand, "Doing a little light reading?"

She rolled her eyes and took one of her archaic Bible books back from him, "Just trying to find some seals."

Just then the door opened and Sam walked in. He looked down at the broken clock and up at them on the couch, closing the door behind him, "Everything alright?" he asked, glancing more at Michelle for an answer than Dean.

"Oh, yeah," Dean smiled, "Just peachy."

Sam put down his bags down at the desk Dean had been sitting at and turned towards them.

"Find anything?" Michelle called.

"Yeah," he nodded, walking over. Dean started to scratch at his arm with the scratch marks on it but Michelle reached out and laid a hand on his, pulling it away from his arm to rest on his lap, "Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she's not our ghost," Sam continued, putting his feet on the table next to Dean's. He waited a moment before glancing at his brother, "How you feeling?"

"Awesome," Dean replied sarcastically, though trying to smile, "It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like."

"Yeah," Sam looked sad at that thought.

"It's freaking delightful," Dean coughed before taking a swig of beer.

"We'll keep looking," Michelle promised.

He turned to look at her gratefully but began to violently cough, almost as though he were choking on something. He leaned forward, Sam and Michelle at his side, worried.

"You ok?" Sam asked as Michelle tried to rub Dean's back.

Dean put down his beer but didn't stop coughing.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, seeing that Dean couldn't breathe and was now gasping for air and pushing himself off the couch. He looked up at Michelle, who had gotten up too and was following after Dean, "Dean!"

Dean ran into the bathroom over to the sink, looking like he was going to throw up. Suddenly something fell out of his mouth, clinking in the sink as Dean gasped for breath, able to breathe again. He looked down at what he'd just coughed up, Sam and Michelle on either side of him, and picked it up. It was a woodchip.

"What the…" he held it up so they could see it.

"We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have…you," Sam looked at his brother.

"I don't want to be a clue," Dean pouted.

"The abrasions, this, the disease, it's trying to tell us something," Michelle assured him.

"Tell us what? Woodchips?"

"Exactly," Sam smiled.

~8~

Even Michelle had to admit, she didn't know exactly what Sam had figured out about the woodchip, at least not until they pulled up to the local lumber mill. It was a huge building, but one that looked like it hadn't been open in years. Dean killed the engine and got out, looking worried.

"I'm not going in there," he told Michelle and Sam, who were on the other side of the car.

Sam sighed, "I need backup and you're all I've got."

"You've got Michelle," he argued as the woman in question walked over to the trunk and opened it.

"You're going in Dean," Michelle called from behind the trunk.

Sam and Dean both knew better than to argue with her so they joined her in the back and sorted through the weapons.

Dean pulled out a bottle of whiskey and took a deep swig of it, trying to find some 'liquid courage' as his brother rummaged through the guns, "Let's do this…" he glanced up at the mill and back at Michelle and Sam who had chosen their weapons, "It's a little spooky, isn't it?"

They looked up at him, blank expressions on their face. Sam held out Dean's pearl-handled handgun for him to take, but Dean just looked down at it, "Oh, I'm _not_ carrying that," Michelle raised an eyebrow, "It could go off!"

Sam scoffed, putting the gun back into the trunk just as Dean reached out and grabbed a flashlight, holding it to his chest with both hands, "I'll man the flashlight."

"You do that," Michelle smiled, patting Dean on the shoulder, while Sam looked ready to smack his brother over the head for his stupidity, sickness or no sickness.

Dean just smiled idiotically as they closed the trunk and went to explore the mill. They quickly entered and began walking down a random hallway, Sam in the lead, with a shotgun aimed and ready, followed by Dean and his flashlight, and then Michelle with a handgun and the EMF, which was making all sorts of noise, earning the attention of Dean and Sam.

"EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?" Dean asked guiltily, trying to smile.

"You don't say?" Sam scoffed.

"Sam," Michelle chastised, pocketing the EMF and focusing on her gun.

"Come on," Sam sighed, continuing to walk again. He only got a step or two when he noticed something on the floor, "What…" he held out a hand to stop Dean, who looked started at the sudden movement, before he knelt down.

Michelle stepped to Dean's side, switching her gun to her other hand and taking Dean's hand. He looked down at her and smiled gratefully.

Sam picked up an old rag that was on the floor, inspecting it and seeing a wedding band underneath it, "'To Frank, Love Jessie,'" he read the inscription, "Frank O'Brien's ring."

"What the hell was Frank doing here?" Dean asked.

"No idea," Michelle answered for the both of them.

Sam shook his head and stood up, noticing Michelle and Dean holding hands. He eyed her curiously and she just nodded at Dean, looking around the room, slightly frightened. He nodded, understanding, before he took a few steps down the hallway, followed by Dean and Michelle.

They passed a few rooms, glancing in for anything of use, before a sound reached them. They carefully entered an old locker room where they'd heard the sound from and looked around. It sounded like banging on metal, but very scattered in pattern. They closed in on the locker that the sound was coming from. Sam was ready with his weapon, Dean aiming his shaking light on the locker. Michelle glanced at Dean, seeing his terrified expression, before giving his hand a reaffirming squeeze and stepping away from him and over to the locker. Sam eyed them, giving them meaningful looks while moving towards the locker too. He nodded at Michelle, who lifted the gun and aimed at the locker.

"Oh three," Sam whispered, they nodded, "One, two, three…" he opened the locker to reveal a cat sitting on the top shelf, meowing at them. Dean began to scream very loudly as Michelle lowered the gun and she and Sam stared at him in a manner very much resembling _WTF?_. When Dean finally stopped screaming, he bent over, gasping for air.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him while Dean stood up with a big smile of his face, trying to wave the whole thing off, "That was scary."

Sam and Michelle just glanced at each other before shaking their heads and walking out of the room.

"Wait!" Dean called in a small voice, running after them and taking Michelle's hand once again.

Eventually they came to another room with a bunch of papers on the floor and a small bookcase, it looked like an office of some sort. Sam lowered his gun and walked around the room, examining a few papers, while Michelle tugged Dean in after her, the man following reluctantly. He started shining his light on the desks and benches lined up, until he noticed something on one of the tables. He walked over to it, leaving Michelle's side as she walked towards Sam who was holding an ID card.

Sam glanced up to see her walking towards him and held it up for her to see, "Luther Garland."

"Hey, this is uh..." Dean called over to them, holding up a sketched picture of a woman and then seeing a printout of Frank's wife's obituary, "…this is Frank's wife."

Sam pocketed the security ID and walked over with Michelle, "Plot thickens," she commented.

"Yeah but, into what?" Dean asked. He ripped the drawing from the desk, jumping as the machinery around the mill began to start up. He started aiming the light around the room, until he saw someone hovering in the corner, dressed as an old millworker.

"Dean…you ok?" Michelle asked, seeing him growing more and more worried and scared as he stared at the corner. Sam turned around to look at his brother as he and Michelle followed his gaze to see the large man in the corner.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, raising the shotgun and taking a few steps forward. He glanced over to see that Dean was gone. Seeing this, Michelle looked over and noticed this as well. They looked around to see him running away through the windows of the doors, looking back but not stopping. Sam shook his head and remembered the ghost.

The ghost turned around and they saw a large man with cuts all over his bald head, face, and hands, not looking very happy. He charged at Sam, who fired the rock salt at him, stopping him.

The man disappeared.

"You do know," Michelle's voice cut in to him, "After this is all over…I'm _never _letting Dean live this down."

Sam just laughed at that and led her out of the mill and back to the Impala. There they found Dean cowering against the trunk of the car, drinking heavily from the whiskey bottle, empting the last drop as they walked over.

"Guess we got the right place," Sam called to his brother, holding out the ID card.

Dean swallowed heavily, breathing quick, shallow breaths and looking anything but relieved at the news.

~8~

The first stop they made was the police station to get the file on Luther Garland. Sam was standing at the reception desk in is agent suit while Michelle stood next to a slightly loopy Dean behind him.

"This is the Garland file," Linus said, walking back with the report and handing it to Sam.

"Thanks," Sam replied, opening it and looking through it as Linus looked behind him at Dean and Michelle. Dean was staring into space, scratching his arm while Michelle tried to swat his hand away.

"Is he...drunk?" Linus asked quietly, motioning towards Dean.

Sam turned around to see Dean looking a bit sick, but also clearly drunk. He winked at Sam and gave a thumb's up while Michelle just rolled her eyes.

"No," Sam replied, turning back to Linus, who still looked at Dean a moment longer before turning back to Sam, "Deputy, according to this Luther Garland's cause of death was physical trauma. What does that mean?"

"The guy died 20 years ago, before my time. Sorry."

"Then can we talk to the sheriff?" Michelle called over.

Linus glanced back at the sheriff's office, "Um…he's out sick today."

"Well, if you see him, will you have him call us?" Sam asked, hopeful, as Dean noticed something on his wrist and began to inspect it, Michelle watching him cautiously, "We're staying at the Blue Bird," Sam continued, "Mind if I take this?" he held up the file, waiting only a moment before walking off with the file.

Dean stopped examining his wrist and looked over at Linus as Sam walked by, "Know what?" he asked the deputy, before smiling, "You're awesome."

Linus laughed half-heartedly, not entirely sure about Dean, "Thanks?" Dean waved him off and shrugged, "Um…you too, I guess."

Dean started to wipe his hand on his leg but Michelle grabbed his arm and half-dragged him away.

~8~

They ended up in the Peaceful Pines Retirement Home later that day, ready to meet Luther's brother for his take on what might have happened. Sam, Michelle, and Dean came around the corner to see an old lady walking by with a saline drip. Dean stumbled into the wall, freaked out, but Michelle kept a hold on his arm, helping him keep going as they walked down the hallway.

"This isn't gonna work," Dean mumbled, "Well, come on, these badges are fake. What if we get busted? We could go to jail."

Sam took a few quick steps before stopping in front of Dean, "Dean, shh," he took a few very deep breaths, demonstrating, "Calm down. Deep breath, ok?" he exhaled with Dean, "There, you feel better?" Dean just shook his head no, looking a bit sweaty.

Michelle sighed and pushed Sam away. She reached out and put her hands on either side of Dean's face, forcing him to focus on her, "Dean, _nothing_ is going to go wrong," she insisted, "We've done this hundreds of times, and we're going to do this hundreds more, ok?" she stared him right in the eyes so he could see the truth in her statement. He nodded slowly, his breathing evening out a little. She smiled comfortingly, "I _promise_ everything will be ok, and have I ever broken a promise before?"

He hesitated, she had promised to save him from Hell, so had Sam, but then again, something like _that _had been out of her, out of anyone's, control, he couldn't blame her. So he shook his head, feeling better.

"Ok," she smiled, stepping back, but still taking Dean's hand in her own, "Let's go."

They started walking down the hallway again, Dean hunched over, reaching for his arm. Sam glanced back at him, "Don't scratch."

Dean straightened up and continued on, clutching Michelle's arm as an orderly walked by. They could not have found the sitting area any faster as far as Sam was concerned, walking over to the old man a nurse pointed out as Luther's brother.

"Mr. Garland," Sam began as they stood in front of the man, "Hi. Um…I'm Agent Tyler. This is Agent Perry and Agent Whitford, FBI."

Dean gave a small wave.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about your brother Luther," Michelle added.

"Let me see some ID," the man demanded.

Dean began to look around nervously as Sam and Michelle took out their IDs, motioning for Dean to do the same. They held up their badges for Mr. Garland to see, Dean shuffling nervously as Mr. Garland inspected the IDs and looked up at Dean, "Those are real," he half-smiled at the man, who just stared at him, "Obviously," Sam cleared his throat as Dean continued to ramble, "I mean, who would pretend to be an FBI agent, huh? That's just nutty."

Sam kicked him, replacing Dean's nervous smile with a little grimace of pain. Michelle elbowed Sam in the ribs, seeing tears forming in Dean's eyes.

"What do you want to know?" Mr. Garland asked, handing the IDs back.

"Uh, well…" Sam began, holding up a folder and sitting down across from Mr. Garland, Michelle and Dean standing behind him, "According to this, your brother Luther died of physical trauma."

"You don't agree?" Michelle asked when the man scoffed.

"No, I don't," he grumbled.

"Well, then, what would you call it?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Don't matter what an old man thinks."

"Mr. Garland," Michelle reached forward and placed a hand on the man's arm, "We're just trying to get the truth on your brother. Please."

Mr. Garland looked up at the girl, as though studying her a moment, before leaning forward, taking the ID card of Luther's, looking at it as he spoke, "Everybody was scared of Luther. They called him a monster. He was too big, too mean-looking. Just too different. Didn't matter he was the kindest man I ever knew. Didn't matter he'd never hurt no one," he took a breath, tears in his eyes, "A lot of people failed Luther. I was one of them. I was a widower with three young'uns and I told myself there was nothing I could do."

"Mr. Garland, um…" Sam interrupted, unfolding a drawing and showing it to him, "Do you recognize this woman?"

"It's Jessie O'Brien. Her man, Frank, killed Luther."

"How do you know that?"

"Everybody knows. They just don't talk about it. Jessie was a receptionist at the mill. She was always real nice to Luther and he had a crush on her. But Frank didn't like it. And when Jessie went missing…Frank was sure that Luther had done something to her. Turns out the old gal killed herself but Frank didn't know that. They found Luther with a chain wrapped around his neck. He was dragged up and down the stretch outside that plant 'til he was past dead."

"O'Brien was never arrested?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I screamed to every cop in town, they didn't want to look into Frank. He was a pillar of the community, my brother was just the town freak."

"You must've hated Frank O'Brien," Sam frowned.

"I did for a long time," he admitted, "But...life's too short for hate, son. And Frank wasn't thinking straight. His wife had vanished. He was terrified. A damn shame he had to put Luther through the same, but…that's fear. It spreads and spreads."

~8~

"Now I know what these are, road rash," Dean said as they exited the facility and headed back to the Impala, "And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some woodchips when he was being dragged down that road."

Sam loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as they reached the car, Dean walking around to the driver's side, "Makes sense," Sam agreed.

"You're experiencing his death in slow motion," Michelle stated.

"Yeah, well, not slow enough, huh?" Dean remarked, very frightened, "I say we burn some bones and get me healthy."

"Dean, it won't be that easy," Sam told him, watching as he tried to get the right key for the car.

"No, no," Dean argued, leaning on the car, "It'll be that easy. Why wouldn't it be that easy?"

Michelle and Sam shared a glance before Michelle sighed, "Luther was road hauled. His body was ripped to pieces. He was probably scattered all over that road. There's no way we're gonna find all the remains."

Dean looked at them a second, pale enough to faint, taking it in, "You're kidding me."

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out," Sam assured him

"You know what?" Dean walked towards the front of the car, "Screw this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dean," Sam called, walking towards the front too, "Come on."

"No, I mean, come on, Sam," Dean stopped, "What are we doing?"

"We're hunting a ghost," Sam shook his head at the obvious answer.

"A ghost, _exactly_," Dean threw his hands up, "Who _does _that?"

"Us," Michelle said slowly.

"Us," Dean glared, "Right. And that…that is _exactly_ why our lives _suck_. I mean, come on. We hunt _monsters_. What the hell?! I mean, normal people, they see a monster and they run. But not us. No, no, no. We…we search out things that want to kill us. Yeah? Huh? Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people! We…are insane!" Sam and Michelle just watched in stunned silence as Dean began to pace before the car, "You know. And then there's the…the…the bad diner food, and then the...the skeevy motel rooms and then the truck-stop waitress with the bizarre rash. I mean, who wants this life, Sam? Huh?"

"I kinda like it," Michelle shrugged.

Dean stopped and rounded on her, "Seriously? I mean, do you actually _like _being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day? How about you Sam? Yean, I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast and I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again, an…an…and I sing along. I'm annoying. I know that. And you..." he pointed at Sam, "You're _gassy_! You eat half a burrito and you get toxic. And you!" he pointed at Michelle, "I…I don't even _know_ what to say about you…I mean, you know what?" he threw the keys to Sam, "You can forget it."

Dean stalked away from the car, Sam and Michelle running after him.

"Whoa, Dean!" Sam shouted, "Where are you going?"

"Stay away from me, Sam, ok?" Dean pointed at him, "'Cause I am _done_ with it. I'm done with the monsters an…an…an…and...and the…the…hellhounds, and the ghost sickness and the damn Apocalypse!" he walked away again, not stopping this time, "I'm out. I'm done. I quit."

"Dean!" Michelle shouted, running up to him.

"What?!" he demanded, spinning around to face her, only to get punched, hard, across the face by Michelle. He spun around from the blow and fell hard to the ground, effectively knocked out.

"Oh ho ho!" Sam laughed at the sight of his brother being knocked out by a girl.

"Little help?" she asked, trying to drag Dean back to the car. Sam sobered quickly, running over to help her.

~8~

Dean awoke a little while later in the motel room, a bit calmer than he had been after being confronted with the truth. Sam and Michelle watched from the second bed as he woke up, but before they could say anything, he got up and stumbled back into the wall, raising his hands as though bracing himself from an attack. They were off the bed faster than anything and at his side, trying to shake him from his hallucination.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, Dean!" Sam shouted, standing in front of him, trying to shake him out of it. Dean was still gasping for air as Sam shoved him into the wall once more to snap him out of it, "Hey, hey, Dean!"

"Dean!" Michelle shouted, slapping him across the face.

It worked.

Dean snapped out of it, looking up at Sam worriedly, his breathing evening out. Dean shook his head, trying to tell them he was ok. Sam glanced over at Michelle, nodding, before walking out the door.

"It's ok Dean," Micelle assured him, leading him over to the couch, "Bobby's on his way, Sam's just gone out to meet him."

Dean nodded, sitting down as Michelle got him another beer. He smiled gratefully at her as she sat beside him and turned the TV on. He flinched, seeing a horse in a child's program get a rope around his neck and dragged down the road.

"Oh, this isn't helping," he commented.

"Sorry," she replied bashfully, changing the channel, trying to find something to watch that wouldn't freak him out. Her phone rang a moment later, causing Dean to jump. She quickly answered, seeing that it was Sam, "Hey."

"Hey," he greeted, sighing, "You were right, it's a Buru Buru."

She laughed into the phone, "Ghost which infects its victims with fear," she recited, "But you have to burn the remains."

"Yeah, well, Bobby found another way to kill it. Scare it to death."

"Well that's ironic."

"Tell me about it. Look, keep an eye on Dean for me. Me and Bobby got this ghost handled, but just watch out for him. Try and snap him out of any hallucinations, ok?"

"Ok," she nodded, even though he couldn't see her.

"Thanks," she could hear the smile in his voice.

"No problem," she flipped the phone shut and turned to Dean, smiling, "Sam and Bobby have a plan to take care of the ghost. They're on it now, you should be fine soon."

Dean let out a breath of relief, "Finally!" he smiled, actually feeling better, "Hey…you uh, think you can get me some pie?"

"I thought you weren't hungry," she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not. Believe me, but when this is over, I'll be starved and pie is the perfect way to celebrate."

She hesitated, considering it for a moment, two buildings down was a small bakery…it shouldn't take _that _long, "You think you'll be ok for five minutes?"

He nodded, "I should be fine, this'll all be over soon right?"

"Right," she smiled, grabbing her coat, "I'll be back soon."

~8~

As it turned out, it took a bit longer than five minutes to get the pie. While the bakery was close, the woman running it was fairly old and not as spry as she once was. So Michelle found herself returning to the room ten minutes after she had left rather than five. She walked quickly back to the room to see the door shut, but broken around the lock, like someone had broken it down.

She burst through the room, placing the pie down on a table, only to see the sheriff dead on the floor.

"Dean!" she shouted, looking around for him.

"You're not real!" she heard a muttering coming from the beds, she walked over to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the Bible to his chest, staring at the space next to him.

~8~

"What's the matter Dean," the little blonde girl asked, eyeing him.

"You are not real," he repeated.

"Doesn't matter," Lilith replied, "You're still gonna die. You're still gonna burn."

Dean flinched and fell to the floor, backing up towards the wall as Lilith stood there.

"Dean!" Michelle shouted, getting his attention. His eyes widened as he looked at her, seeing a brilliant light coming from her. She ran to his side, putting an arm around him and faced Lilith, "Lilith," she glared at the little girl.

Lilith smirked, "I remember you. The poor unfortunate Hunter who got caught in the crossfire. So helpless and defenseless that she couldn't even stop me."

"Is that so?" Michelle tilted her head to eye the little girl as Dean grabbed his chest in pain.

Lilith laughed, "He's dying and there's nothing you can do about it."

Michelle smirked this time, "You're so sure about that?" she threw her hand out, sending Lilith sailing back into the wall. The little girl looked startled and more than a bit frightened at the twist, "Leave!" Michelle pushed her hand at the wall once more, forcing Lilith through it and away. She turned to Dean, still clutching his chest, his arms bleeding profusely. She placed her hands on the scratches, "Dean!" she called, putting pressure on the wounds, "Dean!"

He groaned.

~8~

"Dean!" Michelle shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him hard, about ready to slap him like she'd done before, when his eyes snapped open, clear of all fear that had been there. He sat up, gasping for air and coughing slightly, looking around the room for Lilith, but not seeing her he turned his gaze down to his arms, bare of any scratches.

"Dean?"

He looked up to see Michelle kneeling next to him, "Where's the light?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What light?"

He shook his head, feeling foolish for saying that when it was clearly a hallucination, "Uh, nothing…" he cleared his throat, "Was uh…Lilith here?"

"No…" she said slowly, "Are you ok?"

He took a breath. It was all a hallucination, he should have known. Really? Michelle having some sort of super cool power that blasted Lilith away? And a _light_ coming from her? And Lilith being back in that little girl? Ridiculous, "I'm fine."

"Great," she let out a breath of relief, "I wasn't sure I'd be able to snap you out of that one…I guess Sam and Bobby stopped the ghost."

He laughed, "I guess they did."

She stood up and reached out to help him up, she smirked, squeezing his hand, "Want me to hold your hand till Sam comes back?"

He glared at her, "That never happened."

~8~

Dean grabbed two bottles of beer from the cooler in the Impala and handed one to Sam and one to Bobby, before getting one for himself and an iced tea for Michelle. He turned around, tossing it to Michelle and leaning on the Impala, next to Sam, while Michelle leaned on Bobby's car next to him.

"So you guys road hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked, taking a swig.

"_Iron_ chain," Sam nodded, "Etched with a spell-word."

"Hmm. Now that's a new one."

"It was what he was most afraid of," Michelle said, "It makes sense."

"It was pretty brutal, though," Sam commented.

"On the upside, I'm still alive so uh, go team," Dean smirked.

"Yeah," Sam glanced at his brother, "How you feeling by the way?"

"Fine," Dean answered quickly, knowing what was coming and trying to dissuade the conversation.

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby smirked, "'Cause this line of work can get awful _scary_."

"I'm fine," Dean insisted, "Hey, you wanna go hunting? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"Aww…" Sam looked a Bobby.

"He's _adorable_," Bobby nodded.

Sam and Michelle laughed at that while Dean took another swig of his beer, very unamused.

"Even more adorable," Michelle smirked, "Will be the kitten I'm thinking of getting for our travels."

Sam snorted, recalling how freaked Dean had gotten at the cat in the locker.

"I'll kill that thing too," Dean warned, jaw tensing.

"I gotta get out of here," Bobby commented, breaking it up, stepping away from the car, "You lot drive safe."

"You too, Bobby," Sam called.

Bobby waved at them and turned to hug Michelle, "Good to see you doing better baby girl," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks Bobby," she smiled, hugging him in return.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sam called.

Michelle stepped back to the Impala, the trio watching as Bobby drove off, Dean taking another swig of beer.

"So uh…" Sam shifted, "So, what did you see? Near the end, I mean."

"Oh, besides a cop beating my ass?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Seriously."

Dean looked at Sam, seeing yellow eyes flash on him before his smile disappeared and he stiffened a bit. But then he looked over at Michelle, remembering the comforting light that had emitted from her, the same thing he felt when she was just trying to keep them cool. He smiled, knowing that as long as Michelle was there, the light would keep the yellow eyes away.

"Howler monkeys. The whole room full of 'em," Sam scoffed, not believing him, but Michelle laughed, "Those things creep the hell out of me."

"Right," Sam took a swig of his beer, he looked at Michelle, "Really?"

She shrugged, "I wouldn't know."

"No, no," Dean insisted, "Just the usual stuff, Sammy. Nothing I couldn't handle."

Dean looked over at Michelle, nodding to her in thanks, knowing full well he probably _couldn't_ have handled it without _someone_.

She nodded back, they were even now.

A/N: Hi! So...I lost power at my house last night from the snow we got. Luckily it came back on and I was able to get a final edit done for this chapter. But anyway...awww...wasn't this chapter sweet? Michelle being there for Dean like he was there for her? :) I tried to make Dean's hallucination near the end due to his 'ghost sickness' with Lilith and Michelle clear. I hope it wasn't too confusing!


	8. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

Two days before Halloween Sam had come across an interesting obituary of a man ingesting razor blades. Normally that wouldn't strike their fancy, though when he pointed out that the razors had been within a piece of candy, things were different, especially since a piece of candy couldn't hide one, much less four, blades.

The next day they found themselves at the Wallace residence, speaking with Mrs. Wallace on the death of her husband. Sam was speaking to her while Dean and Michelle inspected the kitchen for clues.

"Now how many razor blades did they find?" Sam asked.

Mrs. Wallace sighed, "Two on the floor, one in his stomach, and one was stuck in his throat," she took a breath, near tears, "He swallowed _four_ of them, how is that even _possible_?" she glanced over to see Dean poking around the oven, "The candy was never in the oven."

Dean quickly shut the door and looked up at her, "We just have to be thorough Mrs. Wallace."

"Did the police find any razors in the rest of the candy?" Sam continued.

"No, I mean, I don't think so," Mrs. Wallace replied.

Michelle knelt down to examine the bottom cabinets, when she saw a scuff mark in front of the refrigerator, indicating it had been moved recently. She scooted over and began looking on either side of it.

"I just…I can't believe it," Mrs. Wallace shook her head, "You hear urban legends about this stuff, but it actually _happens_?"

"More than you might imagine," Sam sighed. He glanced up to see Michelle stand behind Mrs. Wallace, holding a hex bag in her hand. She quickly put it in her coat pocket as Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"Mrs. Wallace, did Luke have any enemies?" Sam asked.

"Enemies?" she frowned.

"Anyone who might have held a grudge against him?" Michelle clarified, walking over to Sam.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Wallace shook her head frantically.

"Coworkers?" Sam tried, "Neighbors? Maybe a woman?"

"Are you suggesting _an affair_?" she asked, completely offended.

"Is it possible?"

"No! No, Luke would nev…"

"I'm very sorry for all the questioning Mrs. Wallace," Michelle stepped forward, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "We just have to consider all possibilities."

"If someone wanted to kill my husband, don't you think they'd find a better way than a razor in a piece of candy he _might_ eat?"

They could only exchange looks.

~8~

Sam was sitting on the couch of the motel room, his laptop on his lap, with Michelle sitting at the table, a few books in front of her, both of them looking things up. Michelle frowned as she examined something from the hex bag just as Dean walked in, tossing his keys on the table and opening a piece of candy, popping it in his mouth.

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow at him, "After that guy choked down all those razor blades?"

"It's Halloween, man," Dean smirked.

"Yeah, for us every day is Halloween," Sam rolled his eyes.

Dean sat down on the arm of the couch, in between Sam and Michelle, and glanced over at Sam's research, "Don't be a downer. Anything interesting?"

"Well, we're on a witch hunt, that's for sure," Michelle said, "But this isn't your typical hex bag."

Dean turned and looked over at the items placed on the table, a silver coin, a small charred object, and something organic, "Hmm, no?"

"Goldthread, an herb that's been extinct for two hundred years," Michelle lifted up the organic, seemingly dried, flower, "And this…" she held up the silver coin, "Is Celtic and it looks like the real deal, at least 600 years old," Dean reached over and picked up the small charred object, sniffing it experimentally.

"And um…that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby," Sam informed him.

"Ugh!" Dean quickly put it back down, looking disgusted, "Gross!"

Sam got up and walked over to the table, picking it up, "Relax man, it's like, at least a hundred years old."

"Oh, right, like _that_ makes it better?" he rolled his eyes, "Witches man, they're so friggin' _skeevy_."

"It takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together," Michelle commented.

"More juice than we've ever dealt with, that's for sure," Sam agreed, "What about you? Find anything on the victim?"

"This Luke Wallace?" Dean remarked, "He was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy," Sam scoffed at their lack of leads, "I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead."

~8~

That night there was a call going out on the police scanners about a death at a Halloween party, apparently a girl had drowned in the bobbing-for-apples pool. Not taking any chances, the trio found themselves heading on over to check it out themselves. They made it there in record time, coming in just as the police were taking record of the situation. They saw an officer talking to a young girl.

"Have you been drinking?" the officer asked her.

"Yes," she answered quickly.

Sam stepped forward to join the questioning, but Dean put a hand up to stop him, "I got this one," he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Jailbait," Michelle coughed.

"I would never!" Dean started, mock offended.

Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother's antics before walking off to the couch, trying to find a hex bag in the cushions. Michelle sighed and walked over to where a man in forensics jacket was inspecting the bobbing-for-apples pool.

Not even five minutes later Sam signaled to the two of them, holding up a hex bag of his own.

~8~

Back in the motel room they were sitting around the room with the hex bag on the table. Except this time Dean was the one on the computer while Sam and Michelle sat on the beds, going through books.

"I'm telling you, both these vics are squeaky clean," Dean called, looking at the records of the victims on the internet, "There is no reason for a wicked bitch payback."

"Maybe 'cause it's not about that," Sam remarked, earning a questioning look from Dean and Michelle.

"Wow, insightful," Dean said sarcastically.

"Maybe this witch isn't working the grudge, maybe they're working a spell. Check this out," he held up a book and began to read from it, "'Three blood sacrifices over three days, the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest.' Celtic Calendar, the final day of the final harvest is October 31st."

"Halloween," Dean commented, taking the book from Sam.

"Exactly."

"What exactly are the uh, blood sacrifices for?"

"Uh, if I'm right, this witch is summoning a demon, and not just any demon, Samhain."

"Samhain?" Michelle's eyes widened, her mind working fast.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Dean asked her, noticing her reaction.

"Samhain is the origin of Halloween," she answered, "The Celts believe that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead, and it was Samhain's night. Masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcized _centuries_ ago."

"So even though Samhain took a trip downstairs the tradition stuck," Dean said slowly.

"Exactly," Sam nodded, "Only now, instead of demons and blood orgies, Halloween is all about kids, candy, and costumes."

"Ok, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?"

"Dean, this is serious."

"I_ am_ serious."

"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft."

"This ritual can _only _be performed every six hundred years," Michelle added.

"And the six hundred year marker rolls around…" Dean trailed.

"Tomorrow night," Sam sighed.

"Naturally," Dean rolled his eyes.

"It's not just that," Michelle said after a moment, frowning, "The rising of Samhain is one of the seals."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean's eyebrows shot up, "Like the 66 seals?"

She nodded, "I'm pretty sure."

"Pretty sure?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"There are over 600 _possible_ seals scattered and mentioned in the Bible and other versions of Biblical lore," she told them, "Only 66 _need _to be broken to let Lucifer free, you try figuring out which of the 600 it is."

Sam held up his hands in surrender.

"Great," Dean shook his head, now there was _even more_ riding on stopping this spell, he looked back down at the book Sam had given him to see the demon standing on a heap of bodies, "That's a lot of death and destruction for one demon."

"That's because he likes company," Sam commented as they got back onto the topic of stopping it, "Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own."

"Raising what, exactly?" Dean eyed them.

"Dark, evil crap and lots of it, I mean, they follow him around like the friggin' Pied Piper," Sam sighed.

"So we're talking ghosts…"

"Yeah."

"Zombies."

"Yup," Michelle agreed.

"Leprechauns?" Dean tried

"Dean…" Sam rolled his eyes.

"Those little dudes are _scary_," Dean argued, "Small hands."

Michelle looked over at Sam and raised an eyebrow in question, "Don't ask," he replied, before turning back to his brother, "Look, it just _starts_ with ghosts and ghouls, this sucker keeps on going, by night's end we are talking _every_ awful thing we have ever seen. Everything we fight, all in one place."

"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse," Dean replied grimly.

Michelle could only nod her head.

~8~

The next day, Halloween, they were ready to do some serious digging. Dean had gone out to  
the Wallace's to try and talk to Mrs. Wallace again, while Michelle and Sam did research on how to stop Samhain. Dean had called to tell them that he'd gotten nowhere but that Tracy, the drunk girl at the party, apparently lied when asked her about the Wallaces, she _did_ know them, making her their new suspect.

Dean strode into the room, tossing the motel key onto the table where Michelle was sitting with books open around her and looked over at Sam, lying on the bed with his laptop open.

"So, our apple bobbing cheerleader?" Sam called.

"Tracy?" Dean asked. Sam nodded, "The Wallace's babysitter, told me she never even heard of Luke Wallace."

"Interesting look for a centuries-old witch," Michelle commented.

"Yeah, well, if you were a 600 year old hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader?" Dean countered, "I would, hmm…"

"She may not be a centuries-old witch," Sam cut in, "For all we know she did some _serious_ digging and preparing, maybe even got help. She could be exactly as old as she says she is."

Dean sat down on the other bed, silent for a few moments, before Sam spoke again, "Well, Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks. Did some digging, apparently she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers, got suspended from school."

Michelle got up and walked over to Dean's bed, sitting down next to him as Sam handed Dean his laptop with a picture of Tracy open with his notes.

"Looks like we're heading back to high school," Dean commented, getting up and grabbing his keys, Sam and Michelle following along. They drove to the high school and went to the art room to talk to the teacher Tracy had apparently assaulted.

They hesitated as they entered the room to see a wall full of art masks, mostly horrible, demonic-looking ones. Dean raised an eyebrow at them, laughing a bit before looking at Michelle, who was staring at them, lost in thought and frowning.

"Bring back memories?" Sam asked suddenly, snapping the both of them out of their thoughts.

"Wouldn't know," Michelle shrugged, smiling slightly, "I never took a real art class."

Dean rolled his eyes at that, "I don't think that's what he meant…" but then he turned to Sam, "What _did_ you mean?"

"Being a teenager, all that angst," Sam laughed at them.

"Oh," Michelle nodded, for a moment she'd thought he'd been talking about Dean's time in Hell, given the types of creatures the masks were portraying.

Dean looked around the room to see a boy from the party trying to put a big, bong-shaped item into a kiln, "Now _that_ brings back memories…" he commented.

"Dude, I need a bigger kiln!" the boy grumbled to himself.

"You wanna talk to me?" the art teacher called as he walked into the room, carrying a box.

"Ah, Mr. Harding," Sam reached out and shook the man's hand.

"Oh, please, Don," he shook his head, moving to shake Michelle's hand

"Ok, Don," Sam smiled.

"Even my students call me Don," he turned to Dean to shake his.

"Yeah, we get it Don," Dean nodded before pulling out his badge, like Sam and Michelle were doing, "I'm Agent Getty, this is Agent Lee, and Agent Rush, we just had a few questions about uh, Tracy Davis."

"Uh, yeah, Tracy, uh bright kid, loads of talent, it's a shame she got suspended," Don frowned.

"Uh, you two had a…uh, violent altercation," Dean tried to lead him.

Don laughed, "Yeah, she exploded, if principle Murrow hadn't walked by when he did, Tracy would have clawed my eyes out."

"Why?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"I, uh, you know, I was only trying to rap with her about her work, it had gotten inappropriate and disturbing."

"More disturbing, than, uh, those guys?" Dean nodded towards the wall of masks.

"She would cover page after page with these bizarre, cryptic symbols and then there were the drawings," he sighed, "Detailed images of killings, gory, primitive, and she would depict herself in the middle of them, participating."

"Symbols…what kind of symbols?" Sam asked, taking out the Celtic coin from the bag, "Uh, anything like this?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think that might have been one of them," Don answered, leaning over to look at it.

"You know where Tracy is now?" Michelle continued the questioning.

"I would imagine her apartment."

"Her apartment?" Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, she got here about a year ago, alone as I understood it, as an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like."

~8~

Sam and Michelle walked back to the motel as Dean pulled up in the Impala. He'd gone to try and spot Tracy's friends, while Sam had tried to find Tracy and Michelle tried to find her apartment. No such luck for either of them, apparently the information the school had was fake.

"So?" he called out to them, getting out of the car.

"No records of her apartment," Michelle shook her head.

"Tracy was nowhere I could find," Sam sighed, "Any luck with her friends?"

"Nah, luck is not our style, her friends don't know where she is, it's like the bitch popped a broomstick," he said.

They made their way towards the room as a kid dressed as an astronaut walked towards them, "She could be making the third sacrifice any time," Sam stated.

"Yes, thank you Sam," Dean grumbled.

"Trick or treat," the astronaut held out his bucket of candy for some more.

"This is a motel."

"So?"

"So we don't have any candy."

"No, we have a ton in the…" Michelle motioned back towards the car. She should know they had candy, _she bought it_ for them.

"We did, but it's gone," Dean cut in. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother as Michelle caught on to the fact that Dean had eaten it all and shook her head, "Sorry kid, we can't help ya."

"I want candy," the astronaut demanded.

"Well, I think you've had enough," Dean stepped past him but the astronaut shoved into him and walked away. The trio stared at him curiously before turning and walking into the motel room.

Sam immediately drew his gun, being the first in, and seeing someone standing in the room, "Who are you?" he demanded, moving to attack.

Michelle's eyes widened as she saw who was in the room, "Sam!" she went over to him and laid a hand on his arm, slowly pushing the gun down, "Wait!"

"It's Castiel," Dean ran to Sam's side, stunning Sam into dropping his arm, "The angel," he glanced over at Castiel but saw another man standing facing the window, "Him, I don't know."

Michelle almost laughed at the look of wonder that appeared on Sam's face as he smiled at Castiel.

"Hello Sam," Castiel greeted.

"Oh my God…er…uh…I didn't mean to…sorry," Michelle had to bite her lip as Sam stumbled over his words, "It's an honor, really, I…I've heard a lot about you."

He stepped forward and held his hand out to shake Castiel's, the angel just looked at it, unsure. He looked up at Michelle, who mouthed 'shake his hand,' and then he got it, reaching out to shake the boy's, "And I, you. Sam Winchester…" Castiel put his other hand on top of Sam's, "The boy with the demon blood," Sam flinched, "Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities."

He let go of Sam's hand as the black man facing the window spoke, "Let's keep it that way."

"Yeah, ok, chuckles," Dean glared at them, none too pleased with the slight threat in the comment, he glanced at Castiel, "Who's your friend?"

"This, the raising of Samhain, have you stopped it?" Castiel looked over at Michelle.

"Why?" Dean asked, drawing Castiel's attention.

"Dean, have you located the witch?" he asked urgently.

"Yes, we've located the witch," Michelle replied.

"And is the witch dead?"

"No, but…" Sam began, frowning.

"We know who it is," Dean cut in.

"Apparently the witch knows who you are too," Castiel remarked, walking over to the table by the bed and picking up a hex bag for them to see. Their eyes widened, "This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or all of you would be dead. Do you know where the witch is now?"

Dean glanced at Sam, who looked worried, and then at Michelle, who was glaring at the man by the window, "We're…working on it."

"That's unfortunate."

"What do you care?"

"The raising of Samhain is one of the 66 seals."

"Yeah, we figured," Dean remarked, nodding towards Michelle, "Mickey here thought it might be."

"Mickey?" Castiel tilted his head to the side, looking at Michelle, who just shook her head, having given up on trying to get Dean to stop calling her that.

Dean just shook his head, sensing they were about to get off topic, "So this is about your buddy Lucifer?"

"Lucifer is no friend of ours," the man at the window turned around.

"It's just an expression," Michelle defended.

"Lucifer _cannot_ rise, the breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs," Castiel told them.

"Ok, great, well now that you're here, why don't you tell us where the witch is, we'll gank her and everybody goes home," Dean demanded.

"We are not omniscient, this witch is very powerful, she's cloaked even our methods."

"Ok, well, we already know who she is, so if we work together…" Sam began.

"Enough of this," the man cut in, looking at Dean.

"Ok, who are you and why should I care?" Dean asked, glaring at the man.

"This is Uriel, he's what you might call a…specialist," Castiel introduced.

"What kind of specialist?" Dean eyed the man as he walked towards them.

The angels exchanged looks.

"What are you going to do?" Michelle asked them, suspecting something.

"You…uh the three of you, you need to leave this town, immediately," Castiel warned them.

"Why?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Because we're about to destroy it."

Sam and Dean exchanged worried looks, while Michelle started at Castiel as though she couldn't believe what they were saying.

"So this is your plan, you're gonna smite the whole friggin' town?" Dean tried.

"We're out of time, this witch _has_ to die, the seal _must_ be saved," Castiel stated, looking more at Michelle than the rest of them.

"There are a thousand people here," Sam argued.

"1,214," Uriel corrected.

"And you're willing to kill them _all_?" Michelle frowned.

"This isn't the first time I've…purified a city."

"I understand this is regrettable…" Castiel began.

"Regrettable?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"We have to hold the line, too many seals have broken already."

"How many?" Michelle tensed, but Castiel didn't answer.

"So you screw the pooch on some seals and this town has to pay the price?" Dean shook his head at them.

"It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion, there's a bigger picture here," Castiel argued.

"Right, 'cause you're bigger picture kinds of guys," Dean replied sarcastically.

"Lucifer _cannot_ rise," Castiel stepped forward, grim, "He does and Hell rises with him. Is _that _something you're willing to risk?"

"We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone," Sam said quickly, "Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die."

"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys," Uriel commented.

"I'm sorry, but we have our orders," Castiel stepped back.

"No, you can't do this, you're _angels_, I mean aren't you supposed to…" Sam shook his head frantically as Uriel laughed, "You're supposed to show _mercy_."

"Says who?" Uriel raised an eyebrow.

"We have no choice," Castiel said.

"Of course you have a choice, I mean, come on, what?" Dean looked back and forth between them, "You've never questioned a crap order, huh? What are you both just a couple of hammers?"

"Look, even if you can't understand it, have faith, the plan is just," Castiel tried to comfort them.

"How can you even _say _that?" Sam looked disgusted.

"Because it comes from Heaven, that makes it just."

"Oh, it must be nice, to be so sure of yourselves," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Tell me something Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn't you obey?"

"The plans have changed," Michelle cut in, saving Dean from having to answer.

"You think you can _stop_ us?" Uriel glared at Michelle, who glared right back.

"No," she remarked. Uriel started to smirk, but she continued, "But if you're going to smite this whole town, then you're going to have to smite_ us_ with it," she glanced at the boys, who nodded, seeing where she was going, "Because _we_ are _not_ leaving."

Dean smirked and stepped next to Michelle, putting an arm over her shoulder, "See, someone went to the trouble of busting me out of Hell, I figure I'm worth something to them. So you wanna waste me, go ahead, see how they react."

"I will drag you out of here myself," Uriel threatened.

"Yeah, but you'll have to kill me, then we're back to the same problem. I mean, come on, you're gonna wipe out a whole town for one little witch? Sounds to me like you're compensating for something," Dean turned to Castiel, "We _can_ do this, we will find that witch and we will stop the summoning."

"Castiel!" Uriel shouted, "I will not let these peop…"

"Enough!" Castiel held up a hand, silencing Uriel, as he looked at Dean, considering his words, "I suggest you move quickly."

Dean nodded and walked out of the room, Sam and Michelle following behind him. He paused though when he got outside and saw that the Impala was splattered with eggs. He walked around the car, Sam and Michelle cautiously approaching it and getting in as he shouted "Astronaut!"

He got in the car, slamming the door behind him when he noticed Sam looked upset, "What?"

"Nothing," Sam replied, holding the hex bag. Michelle frowned and leaned forward, resting a hand on his shoulder as he took a breath, "I thought they'd be…different."

"Who, the angels?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I tried to tell ya…"

"I just…I mean, I thought they'd be _righteous_," Sam frowned.

"Well, they _are_," Michelle commented, "That's kinda the problem. They don't care what happens or for what reason it has to happen, as long as it follows God's law."

Dean nodded, "There's nothing more dangerous than some a-hole who thinks he's on a holy mission."

"But, I mean, _this_ is God?" he turned to look at them, "And Heaven?_ This _is what I've been praying to?"

"Look man, I know you're into the whole God thing, you know, Jesus on a tortilla and stuff like that," Dean sighed, "But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel's rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks…don't give up on this stuff is all I'm saying. Babe Ruth was a dick but baseball's still a beautiful game."

Michelle looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment, "Did either of you actually ever _read_ the Bible before?"

"What?" Sam looked up at her.

"It's _everywhere_ in the Bible. You can't go five pages without some angel wiping out a town, or smiting it as Dean likes to say. They are _soldiers_ of God, not Mother Teresa," she sat back, the boys staring at her, wide eyed, "The church, Sunday school, they all sugarcoat it so you believe that angels are guardian angels and icons of peace and serenity, and maybe some are, but they are _warriors_ first."

Sam looked down in thought for a moment before pouring the hex bag onto his hand and looking at the contents.

"Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch, or are you just gonna sit there fingering your bone?" Dean asked, starting the Impala and changing the topic.

"You know how much heat it would take to char a bone like this Dean?" Sam held it up.

"No."

"A lot, I mean, more than a fire or some kitchen oven."

"Ok Betty Crocker, what does that mean?" Dean glanced at his brother.

"It means we make a stop."

"The kiln in the high school," Michelle's eyes widened as she caught on.

Dean gave a nod in understanding and hightailed it to the school. They were back in the art class in no time, Dean walking towards the kiln while Michelle kept a lookout and Sam examined Don's desk.

"So Tracy used the kiln to char the bone, what's the big deal?" Dean asked, looking into the kiln before Sam's rifling caught his attention. He turned around and walked back over to the desk.

"Dean, that hex bag turned up in our room, not after we talked to _Tracy_…" Sam began.

"But after we talked to _the teacher_," Michelle finished for him, taking one more glance out the door before walking over to them.

"Hey…" Sam noticed a latch on the bottom draw, reaching out for a small hammer and breaking it. He pulled the drawer open to see bones in a bowl, one charred the rest not, "Oh my God."

"Those are all from children," Michelle frowned, eyeing their size.

"And I'm guessing he's not saving them for the dog," Dean commented, his mouth in a thin line.

Michelle looked around the desk, picking up a piece of paper, "Address," she called, handing it to Dean, and then they were off, into the Impala, and driving across town to Don's house.

~8~

Night had fallen quickly as they crept up to Don's house, not finding anyone in the first floor, they headed to the basement, only to see Don raising a knife above a bound and gagged Tracy. Dean quickly fired at him, shooting him three times from behind. He walked over to Tracy, his gun trained on Don, who Sam was checking, while Michelle used her knife to free the girl.

"Thank you, he was gonna kill me!" Tracy shouted, getting up, "Ugh, that sick son of a bitch. I mean, did you see what he was doing? Did you _hear_ him? How sloppy his incantation was?" the trio's eyes widened as they looked up at the girl, "My brother…" they lifted their guns to shoot, but Tracy threw out her arms, yelling an incantation, causing them to fly backwards and hit the ground, writhing in pain, "Always was a little dim. He was gonna make _me_ the final sacrifice, his idea, but now…that honor goes to him. Our master's return? The spellwork's a two man job you understand, so for _six hundred years_ I had to deal with that pompous son of a bitch. Planning, preparing, unbearable," she knelt by Don and picked up the knife and chalice he'd dropped, "The whole time I wanted to rip his face off…" she started digging the knife into the bullet wound and putting the chalice to catch the blood, looking over at the trio, clutching their stomachs, "And you get him with _a gun_, uh, _love_ that," she got up and went back to the altar, "You know, back in the day, _this_ was the one day you kept your children inside. Well tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is."

Tracy began another chant while Michelle forced herself up and over to Don's body, placing her hands on his blood and smearing her face.

"What are you doing?" Dean hissed as Sam watched.

But she shook her head and crawled over to them, spreading some blood on their faces as well. Just as she finished, Tracy finished her incantation and black smoke began to pour into Don while the trio laid flat and held their breath.

Don's eyes opened, turning white with the pupil black before getting off the floor and looking at Tracy. They opened their eyes a bit to see what would happen. Tracy turned around and Don, now Samhain, kissed her, "My love," Tracy smiled.

"You've aged," Samhain commented.

"This face…I can't fool you," Tracy leaned forward, resting her head against his.

"Your beauty is beyond time," he whispered, before snapping her neck, "Whore," he turned around towards the trio, who quickly closed their eyes, and walked over to them. He stared but then just walked off, leaving them.

Dean's eyes flew open as he sat up, the torture over with Tracy's death, and looked at Michelle, now trying to wipe the blood off, "What the hell was _that_?" he whispered to her, in case Samhain was close.

"Halloween lore, people used to wear masks to hide from him," she whispered back, "I thought it might work.

"You _thought_?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

"It did," Sam defended, helping her off the floor.

They quickly ran out of the house and onto the street, towards the Impala, "Where the hell are we gonna find this mook?" Dean asked them, wiping his face off.

"Where would _you_ go to raise other dark forces of the night?" Sam countered.

"The cemetery," Michelle answered.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, and they were off, "So, this demon's pretty powerful…"

"Yeah?" Dean glanced at him.

"Might take more than the usual weapons…"

"Sam, no," Michelle started, but Dean cut her off.

"You're _not_ using your psychic whatever," he stated, "Don't even _think_ about it. Ruby's knife is enough."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Well because the angels said so for one…"

"I thought you said they were a bunch of fanatics."

"Well they happen to be right about this one!"

"I don't know Dean, it doesn't seem like they're right about much."

"They're right about more than you think," Michelle said quietly.

"Well then forget the angels ok?" Dean shouted, "You said _yourself_, these powers, it's like playing with fire," he picked up the knife and held the handle out to Sam, "Please."

Sam took the knife but didn't say anything else. He glanced back at Michelle to see her frown and look away. He bowed his head and looked out the window, biting his tongue. Every time he brought up using his powers, it just drove her further away, erasing all the progress they would make at trying to build up some semblance of a friendship again.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence until they reached the cemetery where music was blaring from a mausoleum. Knowing it probably drew Samhain to it, they raced over and down some stairs, when they heard screaming. Sam looked over to the side to see Samhain walking away from teenagers trapped in the tomb by a gate.

"Help them," Sam called, about to run after Samhain himself.

"Dude, you're _not_ going off alone," Dean yelled as Michelle tried to break the lock on the gate.

"Do it!" Sam ordered, running off and leaving Dean and Michelle to help the teens.

"Get back," Dean turned to Michelle, who jumped back as he gestured to the teens, "Stand back!" they moved back as Dean shot the lock and kicked the door open for them, "Go on! Come on!"

"Get out!" Michelle yelled, "Move!"

The teens rushed past them and out, into the cemetery, as Dean watched the doors to the graves in the mausoleum crash to the ground and break, zombies crawling out of it. Dean lifted his gun, cocking it, before glancing at Michelle, who nodded at him, pulling a silver stake from her coat, having prepared for the worst when they learned what Samhain would try to do.

"Bring it on stinky," Dean called to the zombies, throwing himself into the throws with Michelle.

They managed to stake a few zombies and blast the heads of another few. Dean was currently stabbing a zombie with Michelle's silver stake, when someone appeared behind him. He turned around, about to stab her, but a shot rang out and the ghost was blasted back by Michelle's rock salt bullet.

"Zombie-ghost orgy huh?" Dean called to her as she blasted another ghost.

"I say we just torch everything," she shouted back, pulling out a packet of matches

Dean nodded, running over to a bag he'd brought, and pouring gas everywhere. They ran to the stairs as Michelle tossed a match onto the floor. They ran out to the cemetery as the place caught fire and off in the direction Sam had gone.

They came running around a corner to see Sam holding Samhain at bay...with his powers. He looked up to see them standing there, staring at him, watching him. He turned back to Samhain, groaning in pain from the concentration required, grasping his head as he managed to finally force Samhain out of Don's body.

He fell to the ground and looked down, not wanting to meet Dean's eyes. Michelle let out a slow breath, glancing up at Dean, who was watching his brother sadly, with a bit of fear and disappointment in his eyes. She bit her lip before going over to Sam and gently wiping the blood from beneath the man's nose. He looked up at her, hopeful, but she couldn't meet his eyes…to be honest, she was more afraid she see the black that had flickered there when he'd used his powers just then.

~8~

The next day Sam was packing his duffel bag, when Michelle went to go check on him, Dean was waiting in the Impala, wanting to go to the park to think. She'd offered to join him, but just wanted to look in on Sam first. She just stepped through the door, when she saw Uriel appear behind him. She walked behind the wall and listened in, ready to try and shoot the angel if the threatened Sam again.

"Tomorrow," Uriel said, causing Sam to jump and turn around, "November 2nd, it's an anniversary for you."

"What are you doing here?" Sam glared at the man.

"It's the day Azazel killed your mother and, 22 years later, your girlfriend too. It must be difficult to bear, yet you so brazenly use the power he gave you, his profane blood pumping through your veins."

"Excuse me?" Sam swallowed.

"You were told not to use your abilities."

"And what was I supposed to do?" Sam threw his hands up, "That demon would have killed me, and my brother, and Michelle, and…and _everyone_!"

"You were _told not_ to."

"If Samhain had gotten loose in this town…"

"You've been warned, twice now."

"You know what?" Sam glared, "My brother was right about you, you _are_ dicks."

Uriel fluttered his wings, causing Sam's eyes to widen at the sight, before Uriel appeared right in front of him, "The _only _reason you're still alive, Sam Winchester, is because you've been _useful _and we have been _ordered_ not to harm you. But as soon as that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you're worth, the _moment_ she changes her mind…one word, _one_, and I will turn you to _dust_."

"She?" Sam asked, catching the slip.

"The one who saved your brother," Uriel glared, still raw that the act had been done, "As for your brother, tell _him_ that maybe he should climb off that high horse of his. Unlike Castiel, I am not so soft as to be upset by disappointing her and I _will_ find a way to send him back to Hell if he does not show some _respect_."

There was a flutter of wings and Uriel disappeared, leaving Sam upset and confused. Michelle frowned, but knew he'd want some time alone, she quietly slipped out of the room and went to join Dean. They went to the park, just to sit and think in silence, enjoying the town that was still there.

"Hello Castiel," Michelle said out of nowhere.

Dean tensed, sensing the angel behind them as well, "Let me guess, you're here for the 'I told you so.'"

"No," Castiel remarked, walking around the bench to stand next to them.

"Well, good, 'cause I'm really _not_ that interested," Dean grumbled.

"I am not here to judge you Dean."

"Then why _are_ you here?" Dean looked up, ready to fight. Michelle placed a hand on his arm, calming him down a bit, telling him that he was not alone.

"Our orders…"

"Yeah, you know, I've had about _enough_ of these orders of yours…"

"Our orders were not to stop the summoning of Samhain, they were to do whatever _you _told us to do," Castiel continued as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Your orders were to follow _my_ orders?" Dean looked stunned, Michelle almost laughed.

"It was a test, given to us to prove to others _why_ you were saved from Hell," he informed the man, "To show how you would perform under pressure, given the choice between what is right and what is easy."

"It was a witch, not the Tet. Offensive," Dean remarked, making Castiel chuckle. A moment later Dean sighed, "So I uh, failed your test huh? I get it. But you know what, if you would have waved that magic, time travelling wand of yours and we had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call. 'Cause see, I don't know what's gonna happen when these seals are broken, hell I don't even know what's gonna happen tomorrow, but what I _do_ know is, that this, _here_, these kids, the swings, the trees, all of it, is _still_ here because of my brother and me and Michelle."

"You misunderstand me Dean," Castiel nodded, "I'm not like you think, I was _praying_ that you would choose to save the town."

"You were?" Dean looked up at him.

"She said that you would, that you would make the right choice between what is right and what is easy," Castiel smiled in thought, "Easy was destroying the town, leaving so that all would perish to stop the threat, but right…right was saving those innocents who lived here and did no crime. A man able to make _that _decision is unworthy of Hell."

Dean swallowed hard, "Glad this woman has such faith in me._ I_ don't even have that."

"These people, they're all my Father's creations," Castiel looked around, "They're works of art, and yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal _was _broken and we are one step closer to Hell on Earth, for all creation. Now that's not an expression Dean, its literal."

"Can I tell you something, if you promise not to tell another soul?" Castiel asked after a few more moments of silence.

"Ok?" Dean nodded as did Michelle.

"I'm not a…hammer, as you say, I have…questions, I have _doubts_," he admitted, surprising the both of them, "I don't know what is right and what is wrong anymore, whether you passed or failed here. But, in the coming months, you will have more decisions to make, I don't envy the weight that's on your shoulders Dean. I truly don't."

"You're both good men," Michelle commented, "Between the two of you, I think we have a shot at stopping this," she smiled a bit, "I wouldn't put my trust in any others."

A/N: Awww, love Michelle's faith in them. I've mentioned before that Michelle can see demons, the very weakest being people with black eyes. I take that to mean she can also see people turning into demons...and Sam, with his eyes flickering black slightly when he faced Samhain...well...that's not going to help their 'building back a friendship' thing is it?

Next chapter though we're going to get to see a little of Dean's 'big brother' title coming out near the end. I love big brother Dean :)


	9. Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking

"It just doesn't make any sense, Dean," Sam said to his brother as he sat across from Dean and Michelle in the bar that night, "I mean, why would Uriel talk about the woman who saved _you_? It had nothing to do with _me_."

"Maybe he was just trying to scare you," Michelle said after a moment, "I mean, saying he was going to end you despite what his orders were?"

"Maybe because he's a dick," Dean took a swig of his beer, "Might have something to do with it."

"Maybe...but...he's still an angel," Sam commented.

"Yeah, an angel who was ready to level an entire town," Dean argued, "Look, I don't know what…"

"Radical," a cheery waiter said, walking over to them, "What else can I get you guys?"

"I think we're good," Michelle smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You want to try a couple of fryer bombs? Or a chipotle chili changa?" he asked the boys.

"No, no, we're still good," Dean remarked.

"Ok, awesome," they waited a moment as the waiter walked away.

"Sam, honestly, I have no idea why Uriel told you what he did, ok?" he sighed.

"Right…" Sam trailed off.

"What?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"It's just…" Sam took a breath, "He said he'd drag _you_ back to Hell and that he'd off _me_ if we upset this lady, which he seems to have to take orders from, we don't know who she is or why she wants us both alive. What if he decides to disobey and kills us anyway, I don't…I don't want you to go back to Hell."

Dean shook his head, "Look Sam, I have no idea what happened to me down in the pit and I don't _want_ to remember, so can we just _stop_ talking about this?"

"And besides," Michelle reached forward and placed a hand on Sam's, "If Uriel and Castiel have to listen to this lady, I'm guessing other angels do too and if _they_ catch wind of it, they'll stop him. And I'm pretty sure you'd both be rescued, again."

"Outstanding," the waiter appeared, "Dessert time? Huh? Am I right?"

"Dude," Dean turned to eye the man.

"Listen, bros, sista," he smiled, "You have _got_ to try our ice cream extreme. It's _extreme_."

"Uh, no extremities, please," Sam waved him off, "Just the…"

"Check?" he guessed, "Alright, awesome."

"Thanks," Sam watched as the man walked off again.

"Alright, so, where do we go from here?" Dean asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'm not sure," Sam sighed, looking down at the paper, "Uh, looks like it's been pretty quiet lately. No signs of demon activity, no omens or portents I can see."

"That's good news for once."

"Yeah, just the typical smattering of crank UFO sightings…"

"And one possible vengeful spirit," Michelle pulled the paper away from Sam and pointed something out, "Here, check this out. Up in Concrete, Washington, eyewitness reports of a ghost that's been haunting the showers of a women's health facility," Dean choked on his beer. Without looking away from the paper, Michelle reached out and patted him on the back, continuing on, "The victim claims that the ghost threw her down a flight of stairs," she glanced up, "I can see you're very interested."

"Women, showers," Dean stood up quickly, "We _got_ to save these people!"

~8~

Sam managed to contact the woman who had been attacked and got her to agree to meet him at a Chinese food restaurant. He had to go alone as his cover story had been that _he_ was writing a book about supernatural occurrences across the country. So Dean dropped him off at 'Lucky Chen's Chinese Restaurant' and drove off towards the women's gym with Michelle. Sam was actually happy that Michelle had gone with his brother, not only because, as a woman, she could enter the gym and showers, but she'd also keep an eye out on Dean and make sure he didn't 'play spirit' in the showers.

He walked over to the fitness center to see Dean and Michelle sitting out on the stairs, reading a newspaper, some man won the lottery apparently.

"Well, you pick up anything?" he asked, walking over to them.

"No EMF in the shower or anywhere else," Michelle commented.

"This house is clean," Dean added.

"Yeah," Sam sighed, "I'm not surprised. I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

"I gotta tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

"You wanted to save naked women," Sam deadpanned.

"Damn right I wanted to save some naked women."

"There will be no saving of naked women," Michelle told them sternly, pointing a warning finger at them, "Ay and all women saved will be fully clothed…understood?" she eyed them seriously until they nodded, as though young boys who had just been chastised by their mother.

Sam laughed slightly at the look on his brother's face.

Just then three young bullies ran by, chasing a small boy, "Come on guys, get him!" the first bully shouted.

"I got him!" a second called, "I got him!"

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean shouted after the boys as they ran by.

"Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here," Sam shook his head at his brother.

"How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it?" a man nearby shouted at a police officer, "It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!"

"Something's going on," Dean smirked, getting up and heading over, Sam and Michelle following after.

"Yeah, ok, Gus," the police officer nodded, trying to calm the man down, "I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be. But don't you think it…don't you think it had to be a bear?"

"I know a damn bear track when I see one! This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge!"

"Now, Gus…"

"It was Bigfoot, Hal. _The_ Bigfoot!"

"Gus, you're not talking sense here."

"There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it, and he's a son of a bitch!"

"Excuse us," Sam cut in, "FBI."

"What?" the officer and Gus looked at them.

"Yes, sir," Michelle nodded, going along with Sam, "We're here about the...that."

"About Bigfoot?" the officer raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," Sam smiled, elbowing Dean in the ribs when he scoffed, "Sir, can you tell us exactly where this happened?"

"Yes, I can," Gus smirked triumphantly and walked off with the trio.

~8~

"What the hell's going _on_ in this town?" Dean asked the two of them as they walked out of the woods, "First there's a ghost that's not real and now a _Bigfoot_ sighting?"

"Well, every Hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax," Michelle commented.

"You don't think this is a seal do you?" Sam turned to glance at her.

"Definitely not," she shook her head, "Bigfoot is_ not_ in the Bible."

"Well, maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply," Dean suggested as they walked up to a set of large footprint tracks, "Ok…what do you suppose made _that_?"

"That, uh...is a big…foot," Sam guessed as they looked at the large footprints.

"Ok," Dean shook his head, following the tracks to the back of a liquor store, "So, what…" Dean looked around at the raided store, "Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, Jonesing for some hooch?" he glanced over at a bottle, "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl-drink drunk."

"Hey," Sam called him and Michelle over, "Check this out."

"He took the whole porno rack?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?"

The boys looked over at Michelle, who was glancing around the store, before noticing they were staring at her, "What?" she shook her head at them. They just stared at her like it should be obvious. She sighed, realizing what they were doing, "I got nothing."

Usually she was the one coming up with suggestions or theories about what was out there and, more often than not, she was right. If she got nothing, they now had no leads at all.

"It's got to be a joke, right?" Sam asked as they stepped out of the store, moving to the sidewalk, "Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?"

"Or it's a Bigfoot," Dean argued, "You know, and he's some kind of a alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods Duchovny," just then a little girl on a bike passed by, a copy of 'Busty Asian Beauties' falling from her box. Dean knelt down and picked it up, "A little young for 'Busty Asian Beauties.'"

Sam and Michelle exchanged a look before sighing and walking off after the girl along with Dean, following her to the back of the store, where she dropped a 'sorry' note with a full box of alcohol and porn. She then smiled and turned to head home, the trio following after her.

They waited till she entered her house before walking up to the door, "What's this, like a 'Harry and the Hendersons' deal?" Dean asked as Michelle knocked on the door.

"Hello?" the little girl asked, peeking out.

"Hello!" Michelle smiled, kneeling down, "Um, could we...you know what? Are your parents home?"

"Nope."

"No," Sam sighed.

"No, um..." Dean looked around, trying to think of how to phrase it to a little girl, "Have you seen a really, _really_ furry..."

"Is he in trouble?" the girl interrupted, her eyes wide in fear.

"No," Sam chuckled, "No, no, no. Not at all. We just…we wanted to make sure he was ok."

"Exactly," Dean smiled in triumph as they got their story straight.

"He's my teddy bear," the girl informed them, "I think he's sick."

"Wow," Dean nodded, a bit weirded out, "Uh...amazing. 'Cause you know what? We...are, uh..."

"Teddy bear doctors," Michelle answered.

"Really?" she looked hopeful, "Can you please take a look at him?"

"Sure," Sam smiled.

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

"Of course," Michelle added as the girl took her hand and led them through the house and up the stairs to her room.

"He's in my bedroom," she told them, "He's pretty grumpy," she knocked on the door, "Teddy? There're some nice doctors here to see you."

She opened it to reveal a real, human sized, drunk, teddy bear sitting on her bed, "Close the friggin' door!"

She quickly did as she was told and turned to face the trio, now staring at each other, shocked, "See what I mean?" she said, frowning, "All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time not 'ouch' sad, but 'ouch-in-the-head' sad. He says weird stuff and smells like the bus."

"Um, little girl…" Dean began.

"Audrey!" she corrected.

"Audrey," Dean amended, "How exactly did your teddy become real?"

"I wished for it."

"You _wished_ for it?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"At the wishing well."

Dean slowly stepped past her, opening the door to look at the teddy once more, watching TV, the news, "Look at this," the bear chuckled drunkenly, "You believe this crap?"

"Not really…" Dean said slowly, not just meaning the TV.

"It is a terrible world! Why am I here?!"

"For tea parties!" Audrey called from the hallway.

"Tea parties?" teddy looked over at them, standing in the doorway, gunshots ringing on the TV. Michelle was sure that, if he could, the bear would have glared at them, "Is that _all_ there _is_?"

Dean shut the door once more, stepping back into the hallway.

"Audrey, give us a second, ok?" Michelle asked, getting the girl to nod, "Ok."

The trio stepped away, turning to each other to have a hushed conversation.

"Are we...should we...are we gonna kill this teddy bear?" Sam asked them.

"How?" Dean asked him.

"Do we shoot it, burn it?" Michelle shook her head, trying to come up with something.

"I don't know," Sam shrugged, "Both?"

"How do we even know that's gonna work?" Dean countered, "I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy on our hands."

"Yeah. Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here."

"Audrey," Michelle called, turning back to the little girl, "Where are your parents?"

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali," Audrey answered.

"Ok, well..." Sam looked at Dean and Michelle, who could only shake their heads and shrug, "I'm really sorry to have to break this to you, but...your bear is sick. Yeah, he's…he's got..."

"Lollipop disease," Michelle supplied.

"Lollipop disease," Sam agreed.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size," Dean continued, going off their ideas, "But, see, it's _really_ contagious."

"Yeah, so, is there someone, maybe a grown-up, that you can stay with while we treat him?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street," Audrey mentioned.

"Perfect," Dean smiled.

"Great," Michelle knelt down, "We'd like you to stay there for a few days, ok?"

"Ok," the girl replied, walking off to get some things to take with her.

"Oh, and, Audrey?" Dean called after her, "Where is this wishing well?"

~8~

The trio walked into the Chinese restaurant to see the boy who was being chased by the bullies tossing a coin into the fountain.

"Think it works?" Dean asked quietly as they watched the boy walk past them.

"Got a better explanation for teddy back there?" Sam retorted.

"Well, there's one way to find out," Dean smirked, walking up to the fountain.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Michelle eyed him.

"Shh!" Dean hissed, tossing the coin in, "Not supposed to tell."

A moment later the bell above the door rang and a delivery guy walked in, "Somebody order a foot long Italian with jalapeño?"

"That'd be me," Dean smiled, turning around and grabbing the food, sitting down in a booth and motioning for Sam and Michelle to come over.

"You wished for a sandwich?" Michelle raised an eyebrow, before realizing she should have expected this.

"I think it works," he said with his mouth full, "That was pretty specific."

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam trailed, agreeing.

"I'm guessing this too," Michelle pulled out a newspaper with the lottery man on it.

"I'm guessing that," Sam pointed to a couple at the next table being _very_ cozy.

"Well, that definitely goes on the list," Dean nodded, taking a bite, "What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? Sounds like kind of a douchey thing to do."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam shrugged, "But come on, man. When has something like this _ever_ come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

"I don't know, it's a damn good sandwich," Dean glanced at his brother and Michelle, staring at him with serious expressions, "Alright. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing till we figure out what's going on."

"Uh, gentlemen, miss," a Chinese waiter came over, "I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here," Dean replied smoothly, holding up an ID, "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code 56c."

"Rats?!" the waiter nearly shouted.

~8~

They managed to convince the owner of the restaurant to drain the fountain, Michelle claiming that it was the perfect place for the rats to nest without being noticed. Dean began sweeping all the coins into a pile, eyeing the fountain as he went, "Typical fountain, plaster Buddha. Nothing I can see."

"Yes, nothing," the owner insisted, "We keep a clean place here."

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation," Michelle turned to look at the man, who frowned before walking off, "Thank you."

"Oh, come on," Dean glanced at Sam, "Aren't you a little bit tempted? No? Michelle?"

"No," Michelle shook her head, "It wouldn't be real. I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know," Dean shook his head, "That bear seemed pretty real."

"Yeah…" Sam admitted.

"Come on, if you could wish yourself back, you know, before it all started..." Dean baited his brother, teasing, "Think about it .You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

"Not what I'd wish for," Sam replied softly but Dean still heard it.

"Seriously?" he eyed his brother.

"It's too late to go back to our old lives, Dean," Sam answered, glancing at Michelle, who was leaning over the fountain eyeing the bottom, "I'm not that guy anymore."

And he wasn't, he used to resent being a Hunter, being dragged into it. But he'd been enjoying it a lot more, before Dean went to Hell, and was starting to get back into it. Michelle's point of view on it, the discussions they'd had, it changed the way he looked at the field. He was _saving _people from things they didn't even know were trying to get them. That was something pretty incredible.

"Alright, well, what, then?" Dean brought him out of his thoughts, "Hmm? What would Sammy wish for?"

Sam glanced at Michelle for a moment but, when she looked up, he looked at Dean, "Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody."

"Ok..." Dean trailed a bit as he noticed Michelle struggling with something, "What is that?"

"Some kind of old coin," Michelle said, "I think it's Babylonian, but I can't get it out."

Dean made a pushing motion, nudging her to the side, as he reached down to pull it out, but that sucker was really glued there, "Damn."

"Lift with your legs," Michelle joked, knowing how hard it was to try and pick it up.

"Is that little mother welded on there?" Dean asked, before plopping back, unable to grab it, "Huh."

~8~

Sam and Dean had Michelle watch the fountain as they went out for more supplies, she almost fell into the fountain, laughing at the sight of them, walking back in with a crowbar and hammer over their shoulders.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is this?" the owner shouted, running over, "You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a 44/16, but I will," Sam remarked, the owner hesitated a moment, before walking slowly back to his cash register, still watching them closely, "Alright, thanks."

"Let me see that," Dean asked, holding out a hand for Sam's hammer, "I got an idea."

He got in the fountain, Michelle stepping back to watch, "It's not going to work."

Dean looked up, giving her a look that clearly meant 'oh it will,' before placing the crowbar by the coin and banging it with the hammer…unfortunately, it broke the hammer, sending it flying.

"Hey!" the owner shouted.

"Damn!" Dean grunted.

"Told you so," Michelle smirked, "The coin's magical."

"I'd say," Sam agreed, looking down at it, still firmly on the bottom.

"I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well," Dean commented, straightening up, "I don't think we can destroy this."

Michelle pulled out a piece of paper from her notepad and knelt down, rubbing a pencil over the paper, getting a trace of the coin, "Ok, I'm going to go look into this," she told the boys, stepping over the fountain.

"Dean, can you go with her?" Sam asked.

"Where you going?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Something just occurred to me…" was all he said as he walked out of the restaurant.

Dean looked over at Michelle, who just shrugged, she didn't know where Sam was going. But Dean sighed and started walking towards the car. Just as they approached it, they saw the same bullies from before running away from the little boy they'd been chasing.

"You better run!" the little boy shouted, coming to a stop before Dean and Michelle, "You got a problem mister?" he glared at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked, looking at Michelle, and back to the boy, "No."

The little boy ran off.

~8~

Sam walked into the motel room to the sound of Dean being puking in the bathroom.

"Dean?" he called, looking at his brother, leaning over the toilet, "You alright?"

"The wishes turn bad, Sam," Dean replied in a strained voice, "The wishes turn _very _bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" Sam asked, looking over at Michelle, sitting on the couch with a book and the paper in front of her.

"He's been like that the last ten minutes," she shrugged before holding up the piece of paper, "The coin _was _Babylonian _and_ it's cursed. I found some fragments of a legend…" Dean made a sick noise again, "You ok?!"

There was a silence for a moment before a weak, "I'm good," drifted over to them.

"The serpent," she pointed to one of the icons on the coin, "Is Tiamat, which is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos. Their priests were working some _serious_ black magic."

"They made the coin?" Sam asked, taking the coin rubbing from her to look at it.

"Yeah, to sow the seeds of chaos. Whoever tosses a coin in a wishing well and makes a wish turns on the well. Then it starts granting wishes to all comers."

"But the wishes get twisted," Sam nodded, catching on, "You ask for a talking teddy..."

"You get a bipolar nut job," Dean said, walking into the room and collapsing on the couch, a hand over his eyes.

"And you get E. coli," Sam smirked at his brother, who just groaned.

"This thing has turned more than one town upside down over the centuries," Michelle continued, "It's even wiped a few off the map. One person gets their wish, it's trouble, but _everybody_ gets their wish..."

"It's _chaos_," Sam finished before sighing, "Any way to stop it?"

"We got to find the first wisher. Whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish, _they're_ the _only_ ones who can pull it back out and reverse the wishes."

"So for now, we've got a couple of nutso dreams come true," Dean added, "But once the word gets out about the well, things are just gonna get crazier and crazier."

~8~

That night Sam and Dean were sitting up, doing research, Michelle had fallen asleep on the couch with a book on her lap, trying to find other ways to get the coin out of the fountain incase the first wisher skipped town, so the brothers took over.

That was…until Michelle started shifting in her sleep, progressing to tossing and turning. Dean looked up when she whimpered like she'd done before when she had a nightmare. He glanced at his brother before getting up and shaking Michelle, "Michelle, wake up!"

Like before she jerked awake, but she didn't seem as disturbed or upset as last time, it must have been just the beginnings of a nightmare, "I'm up, I'm up…" she breathed.

"You ok?" she looked up to see Sam staring at her, concerned.

"Fine," she replied quickly, taking a sip of water that Dean handed her, "Thanks."

"You've uh…you've never had nightmares before," Sam commented, recalling why she'd opted for the second room when she started hunting with them again.

"Yeah, well…things change," she said, not looking him in the eye.

"But…" Sam began before Dean cut him off.

"Sam!" Dean gave him a look, "Why don't we fill her in on what we've found?"

Sam sighed, "Well, we got teddy bear, uh, lottery guy, invisible pervert guy…"

"Invisible pervert guy?" Michelle raised an eyebrow, how long had she been asleep?

"Don't ask," he shook his head, "They all must have wished sometime in the last two weeks. But who wished first, and how are we supposed to know who else wished for what when?"

Dean smirked at that, "Well, it helps when they announce it in the paper," he held one up to reveal a wedding announcement and article about the couple in question, "Goes back a month."

"'Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announced their surprise engagement,'" Michelle read.

"Ah, true love," Dean laughed.

"Best lead we got," Sam chuckled a bit as well.

~8~

That day they went out and found Wesley's house, ringing the doorbell as they waited for someone to answer. A beautiful young woman opened the door and her eyes lit up when she saw them, "Wes!" she called, pulling them into the house, "You didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding."

She led them to the living room, Sam and Dean eyeing each other before mouthing 'florists?' while Michelle just shook her head at them. Any in was a good in.

"Huh?" the man, a rather geeky, pale man in glasses, who must have been Wesley, looked at them.

"You're the best!" the woman, Hope, kissed him, "I'm gonna go get my folders!"

"Uh…ok…" he said as she walked out of the room.

"Wesley, how's it going?" Dean smiled at him.

"It's…we…" he paused and looked up at them, "Aren't you the guys from the health department?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "And florists on the side."

"Plus FBI," Michelle added.

"And on Thursdays, we're teddy bear doctors," Dean finished. They all gave him a look, he just waved it off, "Doesn't matter who we are. What matters is what we know."

"So, coin collector, huh, Wes?" Sam asked as he looked around the room at the various coins in frames.

"Oh, yeah," Wes watched them, "My...grandfather gave them to me."

"Did you happen to lose one of those coins lately?" Dean questioned, "And by 'lose' I mean 'drop into a wishing well at lucky Chen's and make a wish on it?'"

"No, I…I don't know what you're, uh, talking about."

Before they could ask any more, Hope came back into the room with a stack of papers and folders in her arms, "Ok, now. I have_ a lot_ of ideas, but, you know, we don't have all the money in the world. Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me. You know, I'm thinking a Japanesey, ikebana kind of thing."

"Yes," Michelle nodded, looking at the woman's notes as she held them open for her, "I can see it."

"So, Hope, uh, tell us how you two lovebirds met," Sam led in.

"Oh, best day of my life," Hope smiled brightly.

"I bet," Dean mumbled.

"Yeah!" Hope agreed, hearing him, "It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just…" she sighed, staring dreamily at Wes, "I just _saw_ him for the first time. He was just...glowing. Oh, just _glowing_."

"Uh, babe, can you get us some coffee?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, anything, yeah," Hope walked over to him and began kissing him with a passion and peppering him with other kisses.

Dean watched while Sam and Michelle just tried to look elsewhere, uncomfortable with the extreme display.

"Oh," Wes tried to get a word in, but Hope was very persistent, "Ok. Ok. Mhmm. Ok. Oh, ok. Oh. Mmm, ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok."

"Yeah," Hope sighed, walking into the kitchen.

"Wes, we _know_," Michelle said calmly, "So tell us the _truth_."

Wesley sighed, "My…my grandfather found the coin in North Africa, you know, World War II. And, uh, he brought it back. He, um, he said it was a real wish-granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. Eh...it was all I had, and when he died, I thought, 'Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?'"

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back," Sam told him.

"No, I'm not," Wes laughed.

"If you don't stop it, something bad's gonna happen," Dean warned.

"Something bad," Sam told him, "Like _us_."

Wes looked around at them, swallowing hard, knowing he'd never be able to take them, not even Michelle.

"We really _wish_ you'd come with us," Dean told him, holding an arm out towards the door.

Wesley took a breath, "Hope! I'm going to step out for a bit. Ok?"

"Sure honey!" Hope called back a moment later, her voice tense.

Dean grinned as Wesley's shoulders slumped and he walked out of the house. They led him over to the Impala and drove off towards the restaurant.

"I don't get it," Wesley squirmed as he tried not to sit too close to Michelle in the backseat, feeling somewhat threatened by the woman, "So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"Because the wishes go south, Wes," Michelle informed him, "Your town is going insane."

"Come on," Dean glanced back at him in the rearview mirror, "You're gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional, that it's what you wished for?"

"I wished she would love me more than anything," Wes admitted.

"Yeah, and, uh, how is that going?" Sam glared back at him, "That seem _healthy_ to you?"

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive."

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this," Dean shook his head, "_Nobody_ is. That's what the coin _does_. It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you. You hear of the whole 'be careful what you wish for?'"

"Did we just hit something?" Sam asked as the car thumped.

"I didn't see anything," Michelle looked around, out the back of the car, "Nothing in the road…"

"'Careful what you wish for…'" Wes mocked them, "You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it _so _easy because you happen to be _handsome_."

"Easy?" Sam asked.

"Easy?" Dean echoed.

"Handsome?" Michelle snorted.

"Hey!" the boys whined at her.

"Yeah," Wesley nodded, though with not as much bite after Michelle's comment, "Women…women_ like_ you," he looked at Michelle, "You look at them, right? You _notice _them."

"Believe us, we do_ not_ have it easy," Sam said a bit sadly.

"We are _miserable_," Dean glanced at his brother at his tone, knowing he was praying to have what Wesley was talking about with Michelle once more, "We _never_ get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got."

"But you know what?" Sam turned to look at Wes, "Maybe _that's_ the whole point, Wes."

"Yeah, people are people 'cause they're miserable bastards, 'cause they never get what they really want."

"You get what you want, you get crazy," Michelle added.

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff."

"You know what?" Wes cut in, "Hope loves me now, completely. And it's _awesome_. Besides, look around. Where's all this, uh, _insanity_ you guys were talking about?"

"Well that should just about cover it," Michelle nodded out the window as Dean pulled to a stop to see the bullies inside a car with the boy they'd been after pushing it completely on its side.

"Kneel before Todd!" the boy shouted at the sky, "Kneel before Todd!"

"Fine!" Dean told them, getting out of the car, "I'll handle Todd. You two get Wes to Lucky Chen's. Go!"

"Right," Sam nodded as he jumped into the driver's seat and sped off towards the restaurant. They arrived moments later, Sam parking as Michelle hauled Wesley out of the car.

"That…that…that _kid_ turned over that _car_ like…like it was _nothing_," Wesley freaked out.

"You should have seen the teddy bear," Michelle commented.

"Now, come on," Sam came around the car, "Fun's over. Time to pull the coin Wes!"

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?" Wes shouted.

"Because that's _life_, Wes," Michelle said quietly...

When a bolt of lightning suddenly struck Sam, knocking him down.

Michelle's eyes widened, "Sam!" she screamed, running to his side, checking his vitals. His pulse was there but very, _very_ slow and he was barely breathing.

"Oh my God," Wesley stared at Sam, "What happened?"

Michelle swallowed hard, blinking back her tears and stood, whipping out a gun from somewhere on her person and aiming it at Wesley, "Get in the restaurant. Now!"

Wesley quickly ran for the door and into the restaurant, over to the well, Michelle behind him, only to see Hope standing beside it.

"Hope?" Wes asked as Michelle came up, lowering her gun at the sight of a civilian.

"I had to do it, didn't I?" Hope asked, crying, she'd heard them talking at home, "He was gonna make you wish away our love."

"You _wished_ him _dead_?" Michelle demanded, glaring at the woman, her grip on her gun tightening.

"I love you more than anything," Hope told Wes, ignoring her.

"Stop _saying_ that," Wesley shouted, "Stop it!"

"But I do," Hope's voice broke, "More than _anything_. More than me. More than life. Oh, Wes. Don't hate me."

"Wesley," Michelle said, dangerously calm, "You _take_ that coin _out_ of the fountain, _now_, or she won't have to worry about loving _you_ more than her _life_."

Wes's eyes widened as he saw her dead serious, now aiming her gun at Hope. He swallowed, "It'll be ok. I'll make it ok. It's gonna be ok," he walked over to the fountain and picked the coin up, reversing all the wishes.

Michelle watched cautiously as Wesley approached Hope, "Hope?"

Hope turned to look at him, confused. Michelle began to lower her gun, "Do I know you?"

She turned to walk out of the restaurant, Michelle hiding the gun behind her back, watching her leave. Wesley sighed and dropped his shoulders dejectedly, walking out after the woman. For some reason, Michelle couldn't bring herself to care what Wesley was feeling. She walked through the door to see Sam standing up from the ground.

Sam looked up when Wes gave him the coin and turned to leave, walking past Michelle. Sam eyed her as she gave him a small smile and moved to put her gun back. Sam nodded, understanding what must have happened inside, especially when Hope walked out a few moments before Wes.

~8~

The next day Dean was sitting at the town pier, on the hood of the Impala, with Sam and Michelle leaning on its side, reading the newspaper proclaiming the lottery was a fake. Audrey walked past them, holding a patched up bear, her sunburned parents walking behind her.

"Well, coin's melted down," Sam sighed.

"It shouldn't cause any more problems," Michelle agreed.

"Audrey's parents are back from Bali," Dean nodded, "Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we."

They turned to leave, Michelle reaching for the door to the Impala, when Dean stopped, "Hang on a second," they looked up as Dean nodded behind him, "Michelle…can I talk to you a minute?"

She looked confused but walked over nonetheless, Sam moving to lean against the Impala in wait. When they were far enough away that Sam couldn't hear them, Dean stopped.

He sighed, looking around, not comfortable with what he was about to say, "You uh…you should talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Michelle shook her head.

"The, uh, nightmares…"

"Dean…"

He held up a hand, "You _should_. Trust me, with Sam, he had nightmares of Jess for _months_ but when he finally talked about it, he got better. They went away."

"These won't Dean," she shook her head, "And I don't _want_ to talk about it…"

"Come on!" he snapped, startling her, "Do you think I don't _hear_ you tossing at night? Or the whimpering? You think I _like _seeing you terrified every time you wake up before you realize it's a dream? Sam may be a heavy sleeper, but I _do_ wake up. It's going to _kill_ you if you don't talk Michelle."

She stared at him a moment before looking away, "I'm not going to make up some story about howler monkeys to appease you Dean…I'm not going to _lie_ about what I dream at night. But I'm _not_ going to_ talk_ about it. What's happened to me to make me have nightmares…it's not something I want you and Sam to know about, ok? It's something I'd love to forget ever happened, and I can't do that if you keep bringing it up. So _please_, if I _ever_ need to talk about it, I'll go to _you_ first, but until then, please, for me, _please_, just let me deal with it."

He was about to argue more, about to force her to tell him, but the desperation in her eyes, the pleading in her voice, made him stop. He wouldn't like it, he'd be pissed about it for a while, but he had to trust her, he didn't want to be 'that dick who scared people' with her, "Fine," he said, "But if I find out you went to Sam first, we're going to have a serious discussion Little Miss Mickey."

She just shook her head, a small smile actually making its way onto her face at the nickname, and walked back to the Impala, getting in, dodging Sam's questions.

A/N: Well...Dean will _definitely_ find out about her nightmares, sooner than you think, both brothers are about to learn _exactly_ what happened to Michelle that changed her so much. Stick around.

Just to answer a review, I am a horrible drawer. I tried to draw the covers for my DW fics but they were really bad, so I go more for editing in Paint. And...I'm actually considering making videos for my DW fics, using the themes I imagine for my OCs and the actresses I see playing them, probably even a video for this fic too, but that'll be a long time coming. I'd pretty much only have time to work on it after I get my work/homework/FF writing/classes done. For seeing Michelle as looking something like Lynn Collins I actually haven't seen her in many movies, save for 5 minutes of an X-Men movie when I was surfing channels on my TV.

I have actually read the Sailor Moon manga, and seen the anime (English dubs) of Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura, and some of Yugioh, Digimon, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Shaman King, Gundam Wing, and even little of Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin. I love Sailor Moon the best though, but I don't think I could write any stories for them. I actually love the pairings for SM and CCS and haven't seen enough of the others to do anything like that. I think the last time I actually watched an anime was...four or five years ago, even though I have pretty much everything of Sailor Moon (English Dub, the originals, movies, soundtrack, manga, Live Action, even the Musicals) :)


	10. I Know What You Did Last Summer

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Sam was leaning on a pool table in a bar, a pool cue in his hand, seemingly drunk as a skunk, while a burly man stood by him in the middle of a pool game.

"Alright come on man, just one more, just…just give me a chance to win it back…" Sam argued with the man, stuttering.

"It's your cash," the man shrugged, smirking at the easy money.

"Excuse me, my brother's a little sauced to be making bets," Dean said, walking up with Michelle.

"Hey, he insisted."

"Yeah, but you've already taken what, two bills off him? I'm just saying."

"Hey, shut up Dean, I'm fine," Sam insisted, leaning on the table.

"No, you're not fine, you're drunk!" Michelle laughed, when Sam slung an arm around her shoulder. She tensed just a bit, still uncomfortable with the plan Dean had come up with to hustle and use her as Sam's girlfriend. It was uncomfortable because there was a distance between them, one she was partially responsible for, one that would exist as long as Sam remained unaware of where she'd been those four months after they'd lost Dean...and that was something she just wasn't ready to talk about, with either brother.

"Let's make it five hundred," Sam grinned, looking from the man to Michelle as though he wanted to impress her.

"Five _hundred_?" Dean's eyes widened.

Sam just held up the wad of cash as the man nodded, "Sure," Sam slammed the wad down on the table, "Five hundred, you're break."

He set up the balls for Sam, Sam leaning over to shoot and getting at least two balls in the pockets. The man looked shocked at this, while Dean leaned over to watch and Michelle let out a surprised sound.

Sam looked up to smile smugly at Michelle, when something caught his eye behind her, Ruby, sitting at a table across the bar. His jaw clenched, "Keep the money."

He hurried off as Dean and Michelle looked confused, "Keep the money?" Dean asked, "_What_?"

"Dean," Michelle said quietly, nodding towards where Sam was headed to Ruby. Dean grumbled to himself and grabbed his beer, walking over with Michelle, not looking pleased as he reached the table.

"Hey…" Sam began but Dean cut him off.

"Well, you got a lot of nerve showing up anywhere _near_ me."

"I just have some info and then I'm gone," Ruby remarked.

"What is it?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"I'm hearing a few whispers…"

"Oh, great, demon whisperers," Dean cut in sarcastically, "_That's_ reliable," he walked away, over to the bar, still within earshot but not wanting to be anywhere _near _Ruby.

Michelle sighed and crossed her arms, standing next to Sam, not looking very comfortable at the way Ruby was smirking.

"Girl named Anna Milton escaped from a locked ward yesterday," Ruby told Sam, "The demons seem pretty keen on finding her. Apparently some real heavy hitters turned out for the Easter egg hunt."

"Why?" Sam shook his head, "Who is she?"

"No idea. But I'm thinking that she's important, 'cause the order is to capture her _alive_," Sam looked shocked at that, demons didn't usually care about humans, but Michelle looked worried, knowing demons only captured live victims to try and get something from them, "I just figured that whatever the deal is, you might wanna find this girl before the demons do."

Sam nodded and looked tentatively over his shoulder at Dean, "Look, maybe we _should_ check it out..."

Dean turned around to face them, smiling irritatedly at Ruby, "Actually we're working a case, but thanks."

"What case?" Ruby narrowed her eyes, not believing him.

"Uh…we've got leads, big leads."

"Sounds dangerous," she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, well it sure ain't goose chasing after some chick who, for all we know, doesn't even exist just because _you_ say she's important."

"I'm just delivering the news, you can do whatever you want with it, far as I'm concerned, I told you, I'm done," Ruby turned to walk off, when Michelle called out.

"This hospital Anna escaped from, it got a name?" Ruby paused and eyed the girl a moment as did Dean, shocked she was _actually_ listening to Ruby. She glanced at Dean, "_If_ she's a real person, we're gonna need a place to start, they'd have records of her at the hospital."

~8~

The trio was heading off in the Impala, Sam on the phone with the hospital Ruby had given them, seeing if there was, in fact, an Anna Milton there.

"Can I get a copy of the missing person's report?" Sam asked over the phone. Dean just rolled his eyes, looking really irritated that they were following Ruby's tip. Michelle gave him a small smile when Dean looked back at her in the rearview mirror, "Great, ok, thanks," he clicked the phone off and put it down, "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real."

"Don't mean the case is real and this hospital's a three day drive," Dean argued.

"We've driven further for less, Dean," Sam told him, but Dean just shook his head disapprovingly, "You got something to say, say it."

"Oh, I'm saying it, this sucks."

"Nice," Michelle rolled her eyes.

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl, you're pissed _Ruby_ threw us the tip," Sam sighed.

"Right, 'cause as far as _you're_ concerned, the Hell-bitch is practically family," Dean said, growing angry, "Oh boy, something major must have happened while I was downstairs, 'cause I come back and…and…and you're…" he looked up to see Michelle in the mirror, smile gone as she looked down, he sighed, "BFF with a demon?" he'd edited _greatly_ what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to upset Michelle by outwardly suggesting his brother was screwing a demon.

"I told you Dean, she_ helped_ me go after Lilith," Sam defended.

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail, real vivid. You wanna fill in a little detail?"

"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories," Sam glared at his brother, "How was your time in Hell? Do you actually _not _remember it or are you just _saying_ that? And please, don't spare the details."

"I told you! I don't remember anything! It's like I went to sleep and woke up four months later ok? Why don't you…"

"Guys!" Michelle cut in, leaning forward till she was almost half-in the front seat, "Can we please…just…" she sighed, "We have a three day drive ahead of us, can we please_ try_ and be civil otherwise I'm going to kill one or _both_ of you."

Dean felt his jacket pocket and cursed under his breath, he glanced back at Michelle, "Got any more of those 'Get Out of Hell Free' cards?"

Her response was to smack him over the head.

~8~

As they walked into the psych ward and Dean began introducing them, Sam couldn't help but think back to his heated conversation with his brother when they first headed out. He found himself thinking back to what it had been like right when Dean had disappeared, just after Michelle had left. He'd gone to a Crossroads Demon and tried to take Dean's place in Hell. The demon had taunted him, talking about him burying Dean, asking him what it was like to have his girlfriend abandon him, and then refusing to make the deal.

"Of course, I wanna help however I can," Anna's psychiatrist said, cutting through Sam's thoughts and leading them to Anna's room.

"The orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Michelle asked as Dean looked around the room.

"Apparently she knocked him unconscious. Uh, the blow caused some amnesia, he doesn't even remember coming into her room."

"That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her," Dean commented, coming to join them again.

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door," she sighed, walking out of the room.

"Right, uh, you mentioned Anna's illness was recent," Sam spoke up, finally getting his head attached.

"Two months ago she was a happy, well-adjusted, journalism major, lots of friends, bright future…"

"So what happened?" Dean shook his head, "She just flipped?"

"Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia, within weeks Anna was overtaken by delusions."

"What kind of delusions?" Michelle continued in the questioning.

She handed Michelle Anna's sketchpad, "She thought demons were everywhere."

"Huh…" Sam began.

"Interesting," Dean added.

Michelle said nothing as she opened the book to see a few drawings of windows with crosses above them.

"It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real," the psychiatrist shook her head.

"Well, that…that's just batty," Dean remarked.

Michelle turned a page to see in bold black print, 'Rising of the Witnesses,' followed by a symbol of the mark used in the spell. The page under that had a sketch of the witnesses being raised, their eyes empty. Michelle turned the next page to see Samhain and houses with jack-o-lanterns in front of them. On top of that page were the words, 'Samhain, the Next Seal, is Broken.'

"It's Revelations," Michelle whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at the pictures.

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o-lanterns?" the psychiatrist asked.

The trio looked up, having forgotten they were not alone, "Uh," Dean cleared his throat, "It's a little known translation."

"Ah, well, Anna's father was a church deacon, when she became ill her paranoia took on religious overtones," she nodded, "She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

Sam nodded solemnly as Dean looked at the book in disbelief, knowing the psychiatrist didn't have _any_ idea how _true_ that was. The woman nodded before walking out of the room, leaving them there.

Michelle sighed and looked around the room, "Jeez…"

"What?" Dean looked up.

"It's just…" she shook her head, "If my parents _hadn't_ been Hunters, I'd probably be somewhere like here too. You know," she looked back at them, "Seeing demons and all."

Sam frowned, not liking the idea of Michelle being stuck somewhere like this. It made him all the more determined to find Anna and let her know they believed her.

~8~

The next place they headed was Anna's parents' house. They walked quickly towards the house, wanting to find Anna as soon as possible. Dean knocked on the glass inset of the door, but no one answered.

"Maybe they're not home," Dean suggested.

"Both cars are in the driveway," Michelle replied.

Dean tried the doorknob and the door opened. He looked up at the two of them, Sam raising an eyebrow at that. Michelle gave them a meaningful look and pulled out her gun. Dean nodded, getting his ready as well and entering the house, the two following after.

"Mr. and Mrs. Milton?" he shouted.

"We're from the sheriff's department," Sam added, taking out his gun as well.

"We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions," Michelle called as they walked past a room, glancing in before stepping in, to see a woman and man lying on the floor, necks slashed, with pools of blood around them.

Michelle sighed and walked over to the body of Mrs. Milton, kneeling beside it, and dipping her fingers in something yellow. She smelled it, flinching at the scent, "Sulfur."

"The demons beat us here," Sam shook his head, "Whatever the deal is with this Anna girl…"

"Yeah, they want her, and they're not screwing around," Dean agreed, looking around at a stack of mail, "Alright, so I'm 'Girl Interrupted' and I know the score of the Apocalypse…" Sam walked over to a picture of Anna and her parents, "Just busted out of the nutbox, possibly using superpowers by the way, where do I go?"

Michelle thought a moment before pulling out Anna's sketchbook from her coat, something that didn't go unnoticed by the brothers as they walked over to see what she was doing, "Look at this," she commented, flipping to a page of the stained glass windows.

"She was drawing the window of her church," Dean reasoned.

"Over and over," Sam agreed, seeing the various pictures.

"If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where else would you go to feel safe?" she asked them.

~8~

They managed to speak to a few neighbors who were kind enough to point them in the direction of the church, so they found it relatively quickly. They made their way in, checking the first level before making their way up to the stained glass window. Michelle stopped outside the door, gesturing for the boys to go in while she kept watch for the demons.

They had their guns drawn, when Sam noticed a movement behind a small piece of stained glass. He nudged Dean, who noticed as well. He nodded over towards the area and they walked slowly towards it, only to find Anna huddled behind the glass. Sam quickly put his gun away so as not to startle her, prompting Dean to do the same.

"Anna?" Sam called, "We're not gonna hurt you, we're here to help," but Anna still didn't move from behind the glass, "My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean."

"Sam?" she called, "Not Sam Winchester…"

Sam and Dean exchanged a confused look, "Uh…yeah…"

Anna slowly came out from behind the glass to stand before the brothers, still a bit unsure, "And you're Dean," Dean didn't know what to say, "_The_ Dean?"

He smirked at this though, "Well, yeah…_the_ Dean…I guess."

Sam rolled his eyes at the smug look on his brother's face.

"It's really _you_!" she exclaimed, stepping more towards them, "Oh my God, the angels talk about you. You were in Hell, but then you were cast out, and Castiel helped you, and some of them think you can help save us," she glanced at Sam, hesitating a moment, "And some of them don't like you at all."

"Wait, wait, wait, back up a moment," Dean cut in, "_Cast out_ of Hell?"

"Yes," she nodded frantically, "You were released and Castiel brought you to Heaven," she looked back and forth between them, smiling widely, "They talk about you _all_ the time lately, I feel like I _know _you."

"So you talk to angels?" Dean asked, getting back on topic.

"Oh, no, no, no way, um, they probably don't even know I exist," she laughed a bit, "I just kind of…overhear them."

"You _overhear_ them?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Yeah, they talk and, sometimes, I just…hear them…in my head," she shrugged.

"Like…right now?" Dean tried.

"Not right this second, but a lot, and I can't shut them out there are so many of them."

"So they lock you up with a case of the crazies when, really, you were just tuning into to angel radio?" Dean shook his head.

"Yes," Anna breathed out, relieved someone _finally_ believed her, "Thank you."

Dean nodded, completely understanding what she must have gone through. They had to go through the same thing every time they told someone about monsters.

"Anna, when did the voices start?" Sam asked, "Do you remember?"

"Let me guess, September 18th?" Dean rolled his eyes, everything seemed to be centered on that date.

"They day you got out of Hell?" Sam eyed his brother.

"No!" Anna shook her head, not really understanding why they said that, "No, it started May 5th."

"But that was only…three days?" Dean frowned, completely lost, he'd been in Hell four months as far as he knew, "What?"

Anna nodded, "But…how did you know about the 18th?"

"Why?" Sam eyed her, glancing at his brother for an explanation, but Dean just shrugged.

"On May 5th the angels chanted, clear as a bell, 'Dean Winchester is saved.' But on the 18th they said, 'She has returned.'"

"Who?" Sam turned to her, "Who returned?"

"The one who took his place," Anna replied as though it should be obvious.

"What?" Dean demanded.

"You…didn't know?" she eyed them, "A deal was made to release you from Hell with someone in your place. It was all the angels talked about for _weeks_."

Dean cleared his throat, trying to wrap his head around it. Someone, a woman, had taken his spot in Hell and had been rescued, like he had, if Anna's words that 'she has returned' were anything to go by.

"Hey, um, do you know, are my parents ok?" Anna said, pulling him from his thoughts, "I…I didn't go home, I was afraid."

Before they could answer, the door behind them slammed open, and Michelle and Ruby ran through.

"You got the girl, good, let's go," Ruby shouted as Michelle shut and bolted the door.

"Oh!" Anna yelled, backing away from Ruby, eyes wide in fear, seeing the demon within, "Her face!"

"No, it's ok, she's here to help," Sam assured her.

"Yeah, don't be so sure," Dean grumbled.

"Yeah, she's pretty ugly, isn't she?" Michelle asked, walking over to Anna, who was blinking a bit as she squinted at Michelle.

Anna's eyes widened, "Are you…Michelle? Michelle Davidson?"

"Yes…" she replied slowly, looking at Sam and Dean in question, "Why?"

"The angels talk about you all the time," she repeated, in awe.

"What?"

"We have to hurry," Ruby cut in to their little interview.

"Why?" Dean glared at her.

"Because a demon's coming," Michelle replied.

"A big-timer and we can fight later Dean," Ruby added.

"Well, that's pretty convenient, showing up right when we find the girl with some big wig on your tail," he said suspiciously.

"I didn't bring him here, _you_ did."

"What?"

"I didn't get a good look but he definitely followed us from Anna's house," Michelle cut in.

"We gotta go, now," Ruby insisted.

Sam turned to clue Anna into the plan, when he saw something, "Guys!" he pointed to a statue of Mary, the eyes now crying blood.

"It's too late, he's here," Ruby commented, actually sounding a bit scared.

Dean quickly approached the statue, gun drawn, as Sam grabbed Anna and pulled her to a back closet for her to hide in, "Ok, stay in there, don't move."

Anna looked scared but agreed nonetheless as Sam shut the door.

He ran back over to where Dean was standing in front of the statue, grabbing his holy water from his pocket, "No Sam, you gotta pull him right away," Ruby said, walking towards Sam.

"Whoa, hold on a sec…" Dean interrupted from his spot. He was standing to the right, Sam next to him, Ruby next to him, and Michelle on the left.

"Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going dark side," Ruby argued, "He does his thing, he exorcizes that demon, or we die."

"Sam…" Michelle began but Sam just tucked the holy water away and faced the door.

There were some footsteps and the door burst open. Sam immediately began to use his powers to exorcize the demon and it appeared to work...for a moment...before the demon coughed and smirked at the group.

"That tickles," he laughed, "You don't have the juice to take _me_ on Sam," the demon continued, pushing Sam away with his powers, slamming him down the stairs he'd just come up.

Dean took out Ruby's knife and ran at the demon as Ruby moved to get Anna. The demon turned and grabbed Dean's arm, "Hello Dean," he commented, pushing him back and into the wall.

He then turned his head to see Michelle standing there, in shock, her whole body shaking, as she stared in fear at the demon, "And Miss Michelle, oh I have _missed_ you."

He stalked towards her as she backed up, bumping into various objects till she ran into the wall, just wanting to get away from him. The boys glanced at each other, then eyed Michelle worriedly, they had _never_ seen her freeze up or react that way to a demon before, not even Lilith.

"Alistair," she shuddered, trying to push herself into the wall to avoid him.

His smirk widened as he held up a knife, "I see you remember all the fun we had in the pit."

With those words, Sam and Dean's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as everything snapped into place for them. Anna just said someone had taken Dean's place in the pit, three days after Dean arrived there. Michelle disappeared three days after Dean 'died' and reappeared only a day or so after Dean had been resurrected. Her actions and personality when she'd returned, the nightmares…it all made _sense _now. _She_ had been the one in Hell all this time, not Dean.

"Let's see if we can't recreate some of that fun up here, shall we?" Alistair asked, waving the knife around in front of Michelle's terrified face.

That was enough to snap Dean into action. He raced across the room faster than he ever had and jammed Ruby's knife into the man's back.

Alastair backed up, uncomfortable but nowhere _near_ about to die. It was enough to distract him though, enough for Dean to pull Michelle away from the wall and towards the middle of the room where Sam had managed to get back up and run to. Dean looked at his brother, glancing down at Michelle, now hyperventilating, before looking over at the window. They nodded, holding Michelle between them and threw themselves through the window to escape.

~8~

Everyone was silent in the motel room. Dean was leaning against the wall, gripping his dislocated shoulder as he watched Michelle make quick work of stitching up his brother's cuts. She clipped the string and dabbed the wound with a bit of alcohol, wincing as Sam hissed.

"I'm sorry for freezing up back there," she mumbled, before getting up and walking over to Dean, motioning for him to turn so she could look at his arm, "I was...surprised...Alastair hardly ever leaves the pit. It won't happen again," without warning, she snapped his arm back into the socket, stepping back, and moving towards the door, "I'll go get you guys some ice and..."

"Sit. Down." Dean ordered, his voice tense and angry.

Michelle flinched, closing her eyes, knowing she wasn't getting out of this easily. She turned around slowly to see Dean glaring at her while Sam sat at the table she'd left him at, his hand on his mouth, a tortured look on his face. She sighed and walked over to sit on the couch so she could face the two of them. She took a deep breath, waiting for it to begin.

"What _the hell_ is _wrong_ with you?" Dean shouted, "Why would you_ do_ that?"

"I made a promise," she replied simply.

Dean stared at her as though she were insane, "A promise? A promise! You took my place in _Hell_ because of a _promise_?!"

"I _don't_ break my promises. I promised Sam I'd find a way to get you out of Hell. I promised you I wouldn't let you become a demon! I promised I'd save you, and I _did_."

"And at what cost?" Dean shook his head, "_You _became a demon instead of _me_? How the hell'd you even get out?"

She sighed, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands, "I was pulled out by Castiel."

"Really?" Dean scoffed.

Michelle glared up at him and pulled her jacket off, pulling up her left sleeve to reveal a handprint just like Dean's, "Apparently, a prophet wrote that I would be needed, so Castiel broke through Hell's defenses and pulled me out."

Dean was silent a moment, recalling something Castiel had mentioned, "Anna said you got me out of Hell by putting yourself in my place…"

"I think we've established that," Michelle remarked.

"But Castiel said you asked him to take me to Heaven. We didn't even _know _angels were real till we summoned Castiel, how did _you_ know?"

"Castiel isn't the first angel I've seen Dean. I've seen them walking around since I was little, I knew they were out there. I summoned Castiel before I made the deal with the King of the Crossroad Demons and…"

"How?" Sam spoke up quietly, "I tried to make a deal, but they wouldn't. They said they wanted Dean."

She swallowed before glancing at him, "You tried to make a deal to take _Dean's_ place, right?" he nodded, "By that point, no demon could make a deal like that because _Dean_ wasn't in Hell anymore, _I_ was. Heaven isn't under their jurisdiction."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam said quietly, "Why didn't you tell _us_, when you got back, that you were in _Hell_?"

"I thought you already knew," she sighed, "It was part of the deal, the demon who held my contract was supposed to tell you I was in Hell and that Dean was coming back…I guess she didn't though."

"Who was it?"

"Does it matter?" Michelle shrugged before looking down sadly, "I'm sorry it took so long though Sam. I didn't think it would take that long to heal Dean."

"Heal me?" Dean asked, "Castiel mentioned something about that."

"When I summoned Castiel before I made the deal I asked him to look for your soul when it was cast out of Hell, to bring it to Heaven, and heal it of the tortures of Hell. I thought that three days of torture in Hell would be three days of healing in Heaven."

"Can we please talk about what exactly you mean by 'healing?'"

"The tortures of Hell…" she trailed, swallowing and blinking back tears, "You could _never _imagine. It leaves a _lasting_ impact on you, your body, your mind, your soul…everything. When I got you back to Sam, I didn't want you to suffer, so Castiel and the angels healed you of everything that had plagued you. They tended your wounds, the trauma, the emotional and physical and mental agony, they made it so that it was like it never existed. They did such a good job I doubt you even remember it."

"So _three days_ of torture in Hell takes _four months_ of healing in Heaven?" Sam frowned in thought.

She nodded, "I guess, I mean…I guess time works differently in Heaven and Hell. One month in Hell is like ten years of suffering."

Dean's jaw tightened, "You were stuck in Hell, being tortured for _40 years_?"

She saw both boys stiffen at that and sighed, knowing they would hate what she was about to say, "More like 50…"

"But you were only there _four months_!" Dean shouted, getting angry with himself more than Michelle. While he was all cozy up in Heaven, she was being tortured down in Hell. It wasn't fair, _no one_ deserved that.

"Four months and _fifteen days_ to be exact," she laughed a bit, "That's about 45 years, but that wasn't enough for those bastards…"

"Why?" Dean demanded, wanting to know everything.

"They felt that they had been cheated out of a victory, breaking the great Dean Winchester, so they decided to punish me," she looked down, getting lost in memories of Hell, "They took me to the deepest parts of Hell where time is unbelievable, _one year_ of torture in just about _one day_. They don't do it often, or for more than a trip at a time, probably once every ten years of torture, because it starts to deteriorate the soul if it's there any longer."

"You were there _48 years_?"

"No!" Sam said suddenly, "No, you couldn't have been."

"And why not?" she glanced up at him.

"You said it took four months to heal three days in the pit," Sam reasoned, "You couldn't have been there that long, it would have taken more than 15 years to heal and you're here so you couldn't have been…"

"Unless…" Dean started, looking over at Michelle, "You were never healed, were you?"

She shook her head, "It would have taken too long and I needed to get back to you guys, to make sure you were ok."

Sam let out a long breath, "48 years…"

She nodded, "I was with Alastair about three quarters of the time, when they realized the regular torturers weren't getting it done, weren't breaking me, they sent me to a 'specialist' of torture."

"Alastair," Dean frowned.

"They wanted to break me _so badly_," she shook her head, "They…showed me things, visions, images of…just to try and get to me and…" she took a breath, wiping her eyes so they wouldn't see her cry completely, "But I wouldn't break, I couldn't…I…"

"What?" Dean asked, more calmly now at seeing how much this was getting to her. It made him want to hunt down every demon and kill them all.

"I didn't want to disappoint you," she looked between the two of them, "I couldn't let you go to Hell Dean."

"Why?" Dean sat down across from her on the table.

"They would have broken you," she said quietly. Dean leaned back in shock, "That's _why_ they were so angry. They _knew_ you would have fought _so hard_, but you _would_ have broken eventually and I…"

"How do they know?" Dean jumped up, pacing, "How the hell could they know whether I would break or not?"

"They showed me what would have happened if you were in Hell, that's the thing about it...they show you the truth. They force you to confront it. As ironic as it sounds, Hell uses truth against you more than lies, because the truth," she swallowed hard, "It hurts _so much more_. They thought if I saw _you _break, then why would_ I_ keep fighting? But I had something you wouldn't have had."

"What?" he looked at her, going over a list of things he could think of for why he wouldn't have broken.

Michelle glanced over at Sam before looking down, something Dean noticed. And then it made sense, "I…there were people I…cared about…so much that I couldn't…I just…"

"I get it," Dean cut her off.

She loved Sam.

She basically went to Hell for Sam, to make him happy, to get his brother back. While Dean _did _have people he cared about, he'd never actually had a relationship like theirs. He'd gone to Hell for his brother, but Michelle had gone to Hell for a man she _loved_ and that love was enough to keep her strong enough to resist the torture they inflicted on her.

Sam looked between the two, his eyes widening as he caught on as well. Everything Michelle had ever done had been for _him_, she _really loved him_ and he…he hadn't trusted her. He'd listened to a demon and other people taunting him about her disappearance rather than believing she was doing something for him. He'd…he'd stayed with a demon for comfort when the woman he loved was suffering in Hell.

"We've got to find Anna," Michelle said suddenly, "Demons only want humans alive if they are planning on torturing information out of them. The faster we find her and get her safe, the better."

"Ruby's got her," Sam replied, guilt seeping into him as he watched Michelle walk over to the window, "I'm sure she's ok."

"You sure about Ruby?" Dean eyed his brother, after hearing about how Michelle had just been tortured he didn't understand how his brother could believe one word out of a demon's mouth, "'Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us."

"No, Anna's safe," Michelle remarked, glancing out the window, spotting something.

"Then why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?"

"Because there are demons watching us," Michelle answered, dropping the curtain and turning around to face the brothers, "They're waiting outside right now to follow us back to Anna."

"That's why he let us go," Sam nodded, it made sense of.

"You call _this_ letting go?" Dean laughed humorlessly, still rubbing his arm.

Michelle went over to his side and started bending his elbow and moving his shoulder to help speed up the process. She'd gotten off lucky, the boys had made sure she was safe between them when they fell out the window, taking the brunt of the fall. She only had a bruise here or there.

"Yeah, I do," Sam defended, "Look, killing us would have been no problem to that thing. That's why, for now, we just gotta lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"Yeah, how's she gonna do that?" Dean asked, rotating his shoulder, already feeling better, Sam just shook his head, "Why do you trust her so much?"

Sam sighed, "I told you…"

He _really_ didn't want to get into this, not only because Dean would _seriously_ disapprove but because having to tell Michelle what he'd _really _been doing while she'd been in Hell…it might destroy her more than the actual torture.

"You gotta do better than that," Dean stepped away from Michelle, going to sit on the couch to stare at his brother, "Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here, I mean, I…I really wanna understand, but I need to know more, I mean, we deserve to know more."

Sam looked up at Michelle, who sat down next to Dean, and saw her bracing herself, after everything she'd done for them…she, at least, deserved the truth.

"'Cause she saved my life," he answered, before launching into an story of how he'd returned to his motel room after dealing with the Crossroads Demon, drunk, and been attacked by another demon, and Ruby, how she'd held his life in her hands but killed the demon instead, getting him out of there. He told them how he'd demanded she not use bodies with people still in them, how she'd possessed a coma patient, how she'd agreed to help him prepare to go after Lilith.

"So, what'd she teach you?" Dean asked, not knowing the can of worms he was about to open.

"Well, the first thing I learned," Sam chuckled, "I'm a crappy student."

He told them about how he'd tried to exorcize a demon but failed miserably and Ruby had to use her knife. How he'd wanted to give up but she'd told him to just practice more and build up. How she said she was sorry for Dean being in Hell and Michelle abandoning him, how she understood. How his misery had led to…something more intense.

Sam looked down guiltily, not wanting to look up and see the disappointment, the heartbreak, the pain he was sure would be in Michelle's eyes when he explained how he'd had sex with a demon, how they'd continued to share the same bed on their journeys.

"Sam?" Dean asked, shocked.

Sam braced himself and looked up, "Yeah?"

"Too much information," Dean remarked, glancing at Michelle, who was looking down at her hands.

"Michelle…I'm so sor…" Sam began but she cut in.

"No, no, it's ok…" she didn't look up though.

"Ok?" Dean raised an eyebrow at her.

"I mean, not _ok_, but…" she sighed, "I can't say anything…I don't have the right to. I wasn't here…and you…"

"It's no excuse," Dean interrupted, seeing that it _really_ _was_ difficult for the girl to even _think _about what Sam had been doing, let alone_ talk_ about it, "Brain stabbing imagery aside," he looked at Sam, "So far all you've told us about is a manipulative bitch who screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad."

Sam looked down when Michelle flinched at 'screwed you' and took a breath. He told them about how he'd discovered Lilith was nearby and how he'd wanted to go after her. Ruby had tried to stop him, realizing it was a suicide mission, but he'd pushed her away and threatened her. He'd nearly attacked an innocent girl and been killed by demons, when Ruby came to his aid, despite his treatment of her, and saved him.

"Ruby came back for me," he finished, "Whatever you have to say, she saved me. More than that, she got through to me, what she said to me…it's what you would've said," Dean looked up, not sure what to say, while Michelle sat on the couch, still looking down, but breathing a bit more heavily, things had really gone to hell when she'd left, "If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here."

Dean was about to say something, when there was a knock on the door, "Housekeeping!"

"Not now," Dean called back.

"Sir, I've got clean towels," the maid tried again.

Dean got up and opened the door to reveal a black woman in a maid uniform, "Couldn't you just leave 'em at the door?"

The woman handed him the towels and shoved into the room, "Ruby?" Michelle asked, seeing the demon in the woman. She glanced over at Michelle, nodding, before shutting the curtains of the room and walking over to Sam.

"I'm at this address," she handed him a note, "Go now, go through the bathroom window, don't stop, don't take your car, don't pass go. There are demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

"Ruby?" Sam shook his head, "But what about…"

"Coma girl? Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I've gotta hurry back. See you when you get there. Go!"

She quickly walked out of the room, Dean shutting the door behind her and looking over at Sam and Michelle, shocked and confused.

~8~

Sam, Dean, and Michelle walked up to the cabin Ruby had mentioned to see a light on inside. It hadn't been easy escaping the motel, but thanks to Michelle's gift, they were able to spot demons before they were seen and get out of sight.

Ruby opened the door just as they walked up, letting them in, "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, thanks," Sam called over to her as they walked to Anna sitting on a couch.

"Anna, are you ok?" Michelle asked, sitting next to the girl, who immediately grabbed Michelle's hand for comfort, just wanting to be near a human rather than a hideous demon.

"Yeah, I think so," Anna assured them, "Ruby's not like other demon's she saved my life."

Sam nodded as Dean cleared his throat, "Yeah, I hear she does that," he looked over at Ruby, knowing he should probably thank her for watching out for Sam, but there was just _something_ in his gut that kept him from doing so.

"Hey, Sam," Anna looked up at him, "You think it'd be safe to make a quick call? Just to tell my parents I'm ok, they must be completely freaked."

The small group looked at each other, not knowing how to break it too the poor girl that her parents were dead, but Anna caught on, knowing something was wrong.

"Uh…" Sam began.

"What?" Anna asked, looking back and forth, "Michelle?"

"Anna, your parents…" Michelle frowned.

"What about them?" her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," Michelle shook her head.

"No!" Anna frowned, "They're not…"

"I'm sorry," Michelle repeated. Anna started crying, rocking herself back and forth as Michelle wrapped an arm around her, hugging her, trying to calm her down. She looked up at Sam, Dean, and even Ruby, looking sad for the girl.

"Why is this happening to me?" Anna mumbled into Michelle's shoulder.

"We don't know," Sam replied.

Suddenly she sat up with a gasp, looking scared and breathing hard, "They're coming!"

The lights flickered as Dean shouted, "Back room!"

He grabbed his gun and the duffel bag while Sam pushed Anna into the back room.

"Guys!" Michelle shouted, but they were in chaos, rushing around, readying their weapons, Dean with a gun, Sam with a shotgun, Ruby looking for her demon-killing knife.

"Where's the knife?" she shouted as the boys exchanged a look.

"Uh…about that…" Dean began, realizing he'd left it lodged in Alistair.

"You're kidding!"

"Guys!" Michelle tried again.

"Hey, don't look at me," Dean continued, trying to defend himself, but Ruby wasn't buying it.

"Great, just peachy, impeccable timing guys, really," Ruby told them.

Noises came from outside the cabin as the doors started to rattle. Sam, Dean, and Ruby each aimed their weapons at the door but Michelle ran in front of them, "Guys, it's not _demons_!"

They stared at her, in shock, just before the door slammed open to reveal Castiel and Uriel entering the cabin. Ruby's eyes went black as she looked truly scared, Uriel just glared at her.

"Please tell me you're here to help," Dean mock begged them, "We've been having demon issues all day."

"I can see that," Uriel stared at Ruby as her eyes went normal, "You want to explain why you have that _stain_ in the room?"

"We're here for Anna," Castiel stated before the boys could give an excuse.

"Here for her, like…here for her?" Dean tried, noticing Michelle was eyeing them curiously.

"Stop talking, give her to us," Uriel demanded.

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked.

"No," Castiel replied, "She has to die."

To be continued…

A/N: OMG! Michelle was in HELL! What a slap in the face it must have been to come back and see Sam hating her and involved with RUBY? Poor her. I really wanted her to have a reaction to seeing Alistair again, I mean, going through what she went through at _his_ hands and seeing him again...she's always been pretty fearless so I wanted a severe reaction from her.

And now we know that the girl in the Interlude was Michelle on all counts...talking to Bobby first, talking to Castiel last...but...who was the demon she got to hold the contract Crowley made for her? We'll find out before the end, don't you worry.

Just a note on a review...I will definitely be deviating a little from the plot as this series goes on. Here especially, I've changed it so that Dean wasn't in Hell, and, if he wasn't in Hell...well, how did the whole seals thing get started? There will be a lot more being changed as the series progresses, especially in the third part of the Trilogy, 'Heaven,' where we'll see some new twists come to light involving Michelle and her role in the whole 'save the seal's 'end of the world' issue.

One last note...wow...I've mentioned in previous fics that I am planning to post a BBC's Sherlock fic after I finish this trilogy...I just wrote out a first draft of The Great Game..._68_ pages, and that's before a final edit. I intend to break the Sherlock chapters into two, so we'll have some very nice, very long chapters for that story :)


	11. Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell

"Excuse me?" Michelle stepped up, "Why does she have to die?"

"Out of the way," Uriel demanded, but made no move to touch her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean stepped up next to Michelle, "Ok, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry, I'll kill her gently," Uriel assured them, not helping at all.

"You're some heartless sons of a bitch, you know that?" Dean glared at him.

"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel agreed, "And?"

"And?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Anna's an innocent girl."

"She is _far_ from innocent."

"What do you mean?" Michelle glanced at the angel.

"It means she's worse than this abomination he's been screwing," Uriel nodded at Sam and Ruby, "Now give us the girl."

"Hold on, no one is killing anyone," Michelle stated.

"Who's gonna stop us?" Uriel glared at her, "You? Them? That demon?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You are not to harm Anna until I learn the truth, is that clear?" Michelle demanded, standing before the two angels, her hands on her hips.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, confused as to what she was doing.

"Michelle…" Castiel began.

"That is an _order_ Castiel," she said firmly. The angels looked at each other a moment before nodding and disappearing from the cabin.

"The hell was that?" Dean looked at Michelle in shock.

"Come on," she said, walking to the back room, "We need to check on Anna."

They opened the door to see Anna cowering in the corner, "Are they…are they gone?"

Michelle nodded, "For now, I sent them away."

"How the hell did you do that anyway?" Dean shook his head at her.

"They uh…they have to obey any orders I give them?" she tried waving it off.

"…why?" Dean eyed her.

"Uh…" Michelle looked away, "I…"

"They're indebted to her," Anna cut in, stepping next to the woman, "When she gave herself up to save you, the angels were indebted to her for it. They have to do what she says as a sort of payment."

Michelle glanced back at the woman, sending her a thankful look the others missed.

"Really?" Dean asked, they both nodded, "That could be useful."

"Not entirely," Michelle commented, "I don't think _all_ angels have to listen to me."

Anna nodded, "I've heard them talk about that, the archangels don't."

"But the rest do?" Sam raised an eyebrow, not quite believing that one girl had power over almost all the angels out there.

Michelle shrugged, "I guess…"

She swallowed hard, worried, because now...now a demon knew about the small power she had over some angels. She didn't trust Ruby, now at all. She could only pray that that little discovery would remain with the demon and not be spread. If other demons learned about it there was no telling what they would do to get there hands on the angelic remote control.

~8~

"So, what do you think?" Michelle asked as she sat by Sam and Dean in the cabin, Anna sleeping in the next room, with Ruby keeping watch outside.

"I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second," Sam remarked, thinking about how much the angels wanted her now too.

"Yeah, I agree," Dean nodded, "And what did they mean by 'she's not innocent?'"

"I don't know," Michelle sighed, when they looked at her, "They _really_ want to get their hands on her and not just because of the angel-radio thing."

"Something's going on with her. See what you can find out," he got up as Michelle and Sam watched him.

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"The angels may be gone for now, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back," Dean told them, "We got to get ourselves safe now."

~8~

Sam and Michelle pulled up to Bobby's house the next day. Dean had taken Anna and Ruby with him to hide out in Bobby's panic room till they had a better idea of what was going on. So the duo had done some research about Anna in the meantime, talked to neighbors, elementary school teachers, and eventually another psychiatrist. What they found was interesting.

"Dean!" Sam called as they got out of the Impala and walked towards the door.

He came out of the house within seconds, "How's the car?" of course _that _would be his first question, followed by, "You didn't let her drive it did you?"

Michelle rolled her eyes at him, "She's fine, and no, I didn't drive it."

"Where's Bobby?" Sam looked around.

"The Dominican," Dean replied, "He said we break anything, we buy it."

"He's working a job?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

"Now that's seared in my brain," Sam frowned.

"What did you find on Anna?" Dean asked, getting back on topic.

"Uh, not much," Sam answered, flipping through a few pages of his notebook, "Her parents were Rich and Amy Milton, a church deacon and a housewife…"

"Riveting," Dean sighed, that was no help.

"There _is_ something here in the report," Michelle pulled out a file, "Turns out this latest psych episode _wasn't_ her first."

"No?" he raised an eyebrow.

"When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close. She was convinced that he wasn't her real dad."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm? A little snaking the pipes?"

"Dude, you're confusing reality with porn again," Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, Anna didn't say. She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. _Very_ mad, like wanted-to-_kill_-her mad."

"Kind of heavy for a 2 year old."

"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal."

"Until now," Dean sighed, when Sam glanced at Michelle, "What?"

"Tell him," Sam nudged her gently.

She sighed, "I keep seeing a flicker."

"Of what?" Dean asked.

"Angel wings. Sometimes, when I look at Anna, there's a flicker of wings, but it's gone too fast for me to tell if it's real or not."

Dean nodded in thought, taking in this new information, "So, what's she hiding?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Michelle nodded behind him to see Anna standing there, with Ruby leaning against the doorframe.

"Nice job watching her," Dean commented.

"I'm watching her," Ruby sassed back.

"You're right," Sam smiled at Anna, "Is there anything you want to tell us?"

"About what?" Anna shook her head in confusion.

"The angels said you were guilty of something," Michelle told her, "Why would they say that?"

"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled, why my parents are dead. I don't know. I _swear_. I would give _anything_ to know."

"Ok," Sam nodded, "Then let's find out."

"How?" Anna eyed them.

~8~

A few hours later Dean was leading Bobby's psychic friend, Pamela Barnes, the same one who Castiel had burned the eyes out of when Dean had returned to Earth, down the stairs and into the basement of Bobby's house.

"We're here!" Dean shouted.

Sam smiled and jumped up from his seat to go greet her, Michelle, Ruby, and Anna stood as well, Michelle stepping closer with Sam.

"Pamela hey!" he walked over to her, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Sam?" the woman asked.

"It's me. It's Sam."

"SAM?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Michelle smirked, realizing what the woman was doing.

"Sam, is that you?" she reached out to lay her hands on him.

"I'm right here."

"Know how I can tell?" she suddenly reached out and smacked his butt, "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing. _Of course_ I know it's you, grumpy," she smiled, "Same way I know that's a demon," she nodded towards Ruby, "And that poor girl's Anna," she nodded towards Anna, "And that you've been eyeing my rack."

Sam looked speechless so Pamela pushed him aside to walk up to Michelle, "And you must be Michelle, I gotta say you're more beautiful than I pictured," she reached out to cup Michelle's face, "Finally got out of the frying pan huh?"

She let out a laugh, "I'm not one for barbeque."

Pamela laughed and walked over to Anna, "Hey, Anna How are you? I'm Pamela."

"Hi," Anna greeted her.

"Dean told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help."

"That's nice of you," Anna smiled.

"Oh, well, not really. Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it."

"Why?" Anna's brow furrowed in confusion.

"They stole something from me," Pamela explained as she lifted her sunglasses to reveal blank eyes, Michelle's eyes widened, "Demony, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra psychic, don't you think?" she put her glasses back and looked back at Anna, "Now...how about you tell me what your deal is? Hmm? Don't you worry."

~8~

They moved to the panic room, Pamela suggesting that hypnosis might be the best way to find out what happened to Anna. They set Anna up on the cot with a chair next to her for Pamela to sit on, the rest of them standing around the room, waiting.

"Nice and relaxed," Pamela recited calmly to Anna, who was lying down, "Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, ok? 5...4...3...2...1. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Anna replied, calmly.

"Now, Anna, tell me...how can you hear the angels?"

"I don't know. I just do."

"Your father...what's his name?"

"Rich Milton."

"Alright," Pamela sighed, "But I want you to look further back...when you were very young...just a couple of years old."

Anna frowned in her sleep, "I don't want to."

"It'll be ok. Anna, just one look, that's all we need."

"No," Anna pleaded.

"What's your dad's name? Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"

"No!" Anna shouted, starting to toss and turn on the cot, growing more panicked. The trio looked at each other in concern, "No...no. No!"

"Calm down," Pamela responded softly.

"He's gonna kill me!"

"Anna, you're safe. Calm down."

"He's gonna kill me!"

"Anna?" Pamela called, seeing that she was now convulsing and spasming.

Dean ran to the girl's side, trying to wake her up.

"Dean don't!" Pamela shouted, but he was thrown across the room by Anna's thrashing, knocking Pamela over in the process.

"Anna!" Michelle yelled, placing her hands on the girls shoulders to brace her to the bed, her spasming lessened a bit, her breathing slower but not by much. Pamela crawled over and placed her hand on Anna's forehead.

"Wake in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5," Pamela commanded as Anna's eyes opened, Michelle moving to help her up from where she'd fallen, "Anna...Anna? You alright?"

Anna sat up, staring at nothing for a minute before looking at Pamela, "Thank you, Pamela. That helps a lot," she replied, far too calm, she looked up at the group, "I remember now."

"Remember what?" Sam asked her, helping Dean up.

"Who I am."

"I'll buy it," Dean groaned, standing, "Who are you?"

"I'm an angel," she looked over at Michelle, whose eyes widened as she backed up from the bed.

~8~

"Don't be afraid," Anna told them as she paced across Bobby's living room, the boys sitting on the couch, Michelle sitting on the arm of it, Ruby leaning on the door behind her, "I'm not like the others."

"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby told her.

"Neither do I," Pamela frowned from her spot on a chair by a desk.

"So...Castiel, Uriel, they're the ones that came for me?" Anna looked over at Michelle, who nodded.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole."

"So, what, they're like your bosses or something?" Dean shook his head.

"Try the other way around," Anna smiled a bit.

"Look at you," Dean smirked.

"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked.

"Orders are orders," Anna shrugged, "I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."

"Why?"

"I disobeyed...which, for us, is about the _worst_ thing you can do."

"She Fell," Michelle added.

"Meaning?" Dean looked over at Michelle for more.

"She fell to Earth, became human," Michelle explained, before muttering to herself, "Well that explains the flickering."

"Wait a minute," Sam shook his head, "I don't understand. So, angels can just…become human?"

"It kind of hurts," Anna admitted as Michelle snorted, "Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt."

"She ripped out her Grace," Michelle shook her head at the woman sadly.

"Come again?" Dean looked between the two.

"My Grace," Anna explained, glancing at Michelle regretfully, "It's...energy. Hacked it out and…Fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant, always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely _screwed_ we are," Ruby cut in.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead."

"And Hell just wants her. A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds…sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."

Anna sat down heavily on a chair, realizing she was, in fact, _so_ screwed.

Michelle hesitated a moment, before getting up to kneel before her, "Anna," she said, getting the girl's attention, "I can't promise you the angels won't get you, but I _swear_, I won't let the demons. I wouldn't wish that torture on anyone."

Anna smiled gratefully at her.

"Wait," Dean shook his head, "Why wouldn't you be able to stop the angels?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "They have to follow your orders, couldn't you just order them to protect her or at least leave her alone?"

Michelle frowned and stepped away from Anna, "No, besides the fact that I don't like ordering them around, especially Castiel, this is _beyond_ me. A Fallen angel, Falling in general, it's a punishment ordained by _God_. There's no way any angel would follow my order to not kill her over God's. I only delayed them a little, making them wait till I knew the truth..."

"Shit," was Dean's reaction.

"Don't worry," Anna smiled, "I'm gonna get it back."

"What?" Sam looked up at her.

"My Grace."

"You can do that?" Dean asked her.

She smiled more, "If I can find it."

"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and, shazam, you're Roma Downey?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that," Anna laughed.

"Alright. I like this plan. So where's this Grace of yours?"

"Lost track," Anna shrugged, "I was falling about 10,000 miles per hour at the time."

"You mean falling, like, _literally_?" Sam looked shocked.

"Yes," Michelle answered, "Hence the term _Fallen_ Angel, one who _Fell_ from _Heaven_…"

Sam nodded in thought, "Like a comet maybe, or a meteor?"

"What are you thinking Sam?" Michelle asked, seeing the wheels spinning in his head.

"Give me a minute to look at something," he said, getting up and walking to Bobby's office.

"Well, looks like my job here is done," Pamela said, getting up.

"I'll walk you out," Dean offered, but Pamela shook her head.

"Actually…could Michelle walk me out?" Michelle shrugged and got up, walking over to Pamela and walking off with her. When they got out of the house Pamela suddenly turned on her and hugged her, "I'm glad to have you back sugar."

"Thanks," Michelle smiled a bit, pulling back.

Pamela stood a moment her hands on Michelle's upper arms, staring at the girl, "You've got a hard road ahead of you. Not quite as bad as where you've been, but still…it'll be hard."

Michelle nodded, breathing in, "I know."

Pamela smiled, patting the girl's arm, and turning to walk down the stairs of the porch.

"Pamela!" she called, going over to her. The woman stopped and turned around, smiling at her, "I want to give you something…"

~8~

Michelle walked back into the room, having gotten Pamela to her ride, to see Sam surrounded by old books and magazines, doing research, so she went around back to find Dean or Anna, praying she didn't run into Ruby.

She saw Anna sitting outside in Bobby's salvage yard, watching the sunset, leaning against a piece of scrap metal.

"Hey," Michelle said, walking up to her, but not getting too close, Anna seemed to sense that and frowned, "Sorry."

"It's no problem. I understand. Dean mentioned you've read the Bible a few times…"

"_Way_ more than that," Michelle laughed.

"You must feel uncomfortable being here with a Fallen angel," Anna replied sympathetically, shaking her head and looking back at the sun, "I used to never understand why anyone would rip their Grace out just to be human, but then…you start to see all the miracles humans pulled off for themselves and just…you get curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Don't I know it."

They were silent for a moment, both just looking out at the sunset.

"Thank you," Michelle said after a while, "For not telling them why the angels _really_ have to listen to me."

"No problem," Anna waved her off, "I remember your birth from just before I Fell. So I guess…I just felt compelled to protect you, even if it was subconsciously."

Michelle frowned at the mention of her birth and sighed, it was not one of her favorite conversations, "Well thanks anyway," she repeated, seeing Dean walk out of the house and head in their direction, "I think I'll check on Sam, make sure he's not burying himself under Bobby's books."

Anna nodded, watching her go as Dean walked up.

~8~

"Union, Kentucky," Sam said as he gathered Dean, Anna, Michelle, and Ruby into Bobby's study to tell them what he'd found, "Found some accounts of a local miracle."

"Union, Kentucky?" Michelle asked, as though not believing he'd said that.

"Yeah?" Sam eyed her, "Why?"

"Uh, nothing," she looked away.

Sam watched her for a moment before continuing onto his research, "In '85, there was an empty field outside of town. Six months later, there was a full-grown oak. They say it looks a century old at least."

"Anna, what do you think?" Dean looked at the angel.

"The Grace," she nodded, "Where it hit, it could have done something like that, easy."

"So grace ground zero, it's not destruction. It's…"

"Pure creation," Michelle answered.

~8~

They were off as soon as they could, Dean driving, Sam beside him with Anna, Michelle, and Ruby crammed in the backseat. Dean couldn't help but laugh as he looked into the rearview mirror at them.

"What?" Ruby demanded.

"Nothing," he laughed more, "It's just…an Angel, a Hunter, and a Demon riding in the backseat. It's like the setup to a bad joke...or a Penthouse Forum letter."

"Dude..." Sam pointed to the rearview mirror, "...reality...porn."

"You call _this_ reality?" Dean raised an eyebrow, but Michelle somehow managed to lean forwards and smack him upside the head, ending the conversation.

~8~

The next day they were standing outside a field in Union, Kentucky, a beautiful scene, the area teeming with life, a large oak tree only a few feet away.

"It's beautiful," Dean admitted.

"It's where the Grace touched down," Anna smiled excitedly, "I can feel it."

Michelle just frowned, "Something's…off…"

"It's probably just the Grace."

"You ready to do this?" Dean asked her.

"Not really," she sighed, walking over to the tree and placing her hand on it, eyes closed.

"Anna, what are we even looking for?" Sam questioned after a moment.

Anna opened her eyes, frowning, and stepped back, "It doesn't matter. It's not here. Not anymore. Someone took it."

"I _knew_ it!" Michelle half-shouted, "Something _was_ off!"

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked her, rolling her eyes.

"I was here," Michelle turned to face them, "This is where I…" she trailed, swallowing, "This was where I put my body, when my soul went to Hell."

"What?" Dean demanded.

"My parents passed through here a while ago and this spot...it just stuck with me," she looked at the tree, "So I decided, if my soul was being tortured, I might as well make my body comfortable, but just a few months ago I could swear the Grace was here."

~8~

They found a barn to camp in that night, scrambling to prepare themselves for whatever might be coming. Now that Michelle knew the truth, there was nothing to stop the angels.

"We still have the hex bags," Dean commented, "I say we head back to the panic room."

"What, forever?" Ruby demanded.

"I'm just thinking out loud!"

"Oh, you call _that_ thinking?"

"Hey!" Sam cut in, "Hey, hey, hey. Stop it."

"Anna's Grace is gone," Ruby rounded on him, "You understand? She can't angel up. She can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven _and_ Hell. One side, maybe, but not _both_. Not at once."

"Um...guys?" Anna called over, "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying?" Sam asked.

"It's weird...like a recording..." she frowned, "A loop. It says, 'Give us Anna by midnight, or...'"

"Or what?" Michelle's eyes narrowed, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"'Or we shall hurl Dean Winchester back to damnation.'"

"They wouldn't _dare_," Michelle stated firmly, determination in her eyes as she turned to Dean, "They're bluffing."

Dean was about to ask her how she knew, but then he recalled something Castiel had said, something about how he'd rather go to Hell himself rather than disappoint Michelle, and, clearly, Michelle _didn't _want him in Hell, so he figured, for now, he was safe…unless an archangel or God or someone wanted him put back there. But then again, if he went back, then Michelle would be dragged back and he'd just be cast out again, but _he'd_ rather go to Hell than Michelle.

"Anna…" Sam turned to her, "Do you know of any weapon that works on an angel? To kill them?"

"Nothing we could get to," she shook her head, thinking about a sword all angels had, the only thing that could truly kill an angel and not just their occupied vessel, like a fire made of holy oil could, "Not right now."

"Ok, wait, wait," Dean cut in, "I say we call Bobby. We get him back from hedonism..."

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam countered.

"I don't know, but we got to think of _something_!" Dean glanced at Michelle to see her seeming to think the same thing he was.

If Dean was sent back, she would be sent in his place.

~8~

Dean was standing against the Impala that night, just staring up at the sky.

"Hey," Michelle said, coming to lean next to him.

"Hey," he remarked, glancing at her. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Dean noticed Michelle staring off into space with a sad, almost defeated, look on her face, "You ok?"

She nodded, but he nudged her getting her to look up and see he clearly didn't believe her. She sighed, "When I was in the pit…" she began, pausing a moment, but forcing herself to continue, she'd promised that she would talk to Dean first if she ever felt the need to speak of it, "You know how I said they showed me images of what would have happened to you, how they would have broken you?" he nodded, not trusting himself to talk, "They didn't just show me _you_…they…"

"They showed you Sam too," he finished for her.

She nodded, "They showed me him…with Ruby…" she swallowed hard, "Being intimate."

Dean let out a whistle and shook his head.

"I KNEW it was true, that what they were showing me was real but...I convinced myself it was fake," she admitted, "It _had_ to be fake, he would _never_…I thought he lov…" she cut herself off, letting out a shuddering breath, "And I come back and…it's _real_. Everything they showed me was _real_."

Dean reached over and pulled her into a one-armed hug as her voice broke. He could feel tears appearing in his own eyes as he listened to her continue speaking brokenly, "What did I go through for him? I…everything I did and he just…what was the point of keeping strong…why suffer all that, if it meant nothing? If it was a mistake?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Dean cut in, pulling away, turning her to face him, his hands on her shoulder, making her look at him, "It didn't mean nothing, it meant _everything_, especially to _me_. I've…I've _never_ had anyone do what you did for me. I know Sam would," he said, seeing her about to argue, "But I never thought I would earn that sort of sacrifice from anyone _outside_ my family. And then you come along, like the sister I never had, and you…you made Sam and me _happy_. You made hunting _fun_, you actually made driving eight plus hours a day _bearable_. What you did…God Michelle, I can't imagine what I did to deserve that."

"You didn't deserve to go to Hell," she replied simply, wiping her eyes, "And Sam needed his brother."

"He needed you too. He still needs you. He'll _always_ need you, no matter how pissed he gets at something or at me, he's never mad at you…no," he cut in again, "Not even now, especially not now that he knows where you've been. And between you and me, he wasn't even pissed when he _didn't_ know, he was pissed at himself for forgiving you so quickly. He…he_ loves_ you. No matter what's going on now, or how deep that bitch Ruby has her claws into him, that will _never_ change. You've always been able to get through to the both of us, we'd do anything for you, and Sam loves you more than anything. Never, _ever _doubt that."

Michelle stared at Dean a moment, never having heard him talk that long about feelings before, but saw nothing but complete honesty in his eyes. He truly believed everything he was saying, and it was...comforting.

She took a breath, nodding, "Thanks."

He smirked at her, "No problem."

"Are you ok?" a voice said behind them, they turned to see Anna standing there, eyes wide with concern.

Michelle smiled, "I'm fine," she looked between the two, "I think I'm going to get some sleep though. Good night."

"Good night," Dean and Anna called as Michelle walked off.

She stepped into the barn to see Sam sleeping over an open book and smiled softly, recalling her talk with Dean. She walked over to where an old blanket was placed and pulled it off, draping it over Sam as he slept. Before walking off to another area of the stable and making a small spot for herself, lying down to sleep as well.

~8~

Dean was standing in the barn, thinking about his last conversation with Anna, she had told him she didn't think she deserved to be saved, but he'd argued with her. She'd also made him aware that she knew he felt guilty for what happened to Michelle, how she'd taken his spot in Hell, and told him not blame himself, he'd had no hand in her decision at all. After that, one thing had led to another, and soon they had done the dirty in the Impala…which brought up the problem of, how did he get to the stable? And why was it daylight?

"Look at that," a voice said behind him, he turned around to see Uriel standing there, "It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes."

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Dean asked him, already knowing the answer.

"It's the only way we could chat...since you're hiding like cowards."

"Don't normally see you off leash. Where's your boss?"

"Castiel?" Uriel raised an eyebrow, "Oh, he, uh...he's not here. See, he has this…weakness. He _likes _you. Time's up, boy. We want the girl."

"Wouldn't try that if I were you," Dean smirked, "See, she got her Grace back. Full blown angel now."

"That would be a neat trick, considering..." he pulled out a necklace, a glowing cylinder on a chain, "..._I_ have her Grace right here. We can't let Hell get their hooks into her."

"Well, then why don't you just give her back her angel juice?"

"She committed a serious crime."

"What?" he scoffed, "Thinking for herself?"

"This is our business, not yours. She's not even human...not technically."

"Yeah, well, I guess I just like being a pain in the pooper…" he paused a moment, a thoughtful look on his face before he laughed to himself for calling Uriel what Michelle had once called Bela.

"No. There's more. You cut yourself a slice of...angel food cake. Didn't you? Huh? You did."

"What do you care?" Dean glared, "You're junkless down there, right? Like a ken doll?"

"Well, it's your _last _chance," Uriel threatened, "Give us the girl, or…"

"Or what?" Michelle suddenly appeared out of nowhere to stand before the angel, blocking him from Dean, "You'll toss him back in the hole? I won't stand for that and you will do no such thing Uriel. Understood?"

"This is a whole lot bigger than you think it is," Uriel glared at her, "The plans we have for him…"

"You have no idea what I _think_ and what I _know_ of your plans," Michelle cut in, "Now get out of here, before I force you out."

Uriel stared at her, trying to get her to back down, but there was no having that. Moments later he was gone and Michelle turned to Dean, "You should wake up now."

Dean's eyes snapped open as he looked down to see he'd fallen asleep in the Impala, Anna resting on his chest.

~8~

Sam, Michelle, Dean, and Anna were standing in the barn the next day, waiting for Ruby, who was supposed to have been there already. Where she'd gone, Michelle didn't know.

"I don't know, man," Sam remarked, pacing, "Where's Ruby?"

"Hey, she's _your_ Hell-buddy," Dean took a swig of booze.

"Little early for that, isn't it?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's 2:00 a.m. somewhere," he shrugged.

"You ok?" Michelle asked.

Dean looked up at her, the sight of her reminding him of his dream last night. It seemed like Michelle was a source of protection even in his dreams, he remembered how she'd told off Uriel the night before, or at least a dream version of her had, and was comforted. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

"Yeah," he smiled at her, putting the booze down, "I'm fine."

Anna stiffened and looked at the doors, "They're here."

The doors blasted open and Castiel and Uriel entered.

Castiel glanced at Michelle, "You know the truth now," which they knew meant their time was truly up. He turned to Anna, "Hello, Anna. It's good to see you."

Sam looked around, stunned that they found them, "How? How did you find us?" he looked over at Dean, who looked just as confused. He turned to see Michelle looking around the barn at the hex bags, making sure they were all intact...and he noticed something on the wall of the barn, a sign for a fair in Union, Kentucky and a sign for the farm the barn was located in.

Dean shook his head, "The dream…" he looked at Anna and Sam, "He found us from the signs in the barn, in my dream."

Anna turned and kissed Dean goodbye, "You did the best you could," she then turned to face the angels, "Ok. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry," Castiel said.

"No, you're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just…"

"Orders are orders. I know. Just make it quick."

Just then, a small group of demons walked through the door. Michelle tensed, taking a few steps back, as she saw Alastair at the head of the group. Sam quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, moving to stand a little before her, putting himself between her and the demon.

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head," Alastair said.

"How dare you come in this room...you pussing sore?" Uriel spat at the demon.

"Name calling," Alastair shook his head, "That hurt my feelings...you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel ordered, his jaw tensing in preparation for battle.

"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again. Leave now...or we lay you to waste."

"Think I'll take my chances," Alastair smirked, before the angels and demons began to fight, Sam and Dean pulling Michelle to the side, to shelter. Castiel tried to exorcize Alastair, his hand on the man's face, but with no result, "Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?"

Uriel managed to exorcize a demon off to the side, the demon screaming as it happened. While Castiel was distracted by this, Alastair, in a twist, began to exorcize Castiel.

"Potestas inferna, me confirma," Alastair chanted, "Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferma, me confirma! Potes…"

Suddenly Michelle ran forward and whacked Alastair over the head with a crowbar she'd scooped up, not about to let him harm Castiel, distracting him enough for the angel to get away.

"Michelle, Michelle, Michelle," Alastair tsked, turning to attack her, making her drop the crowbar and back up, but just before he could do so, a bright light lit up the room.

Anna had seen her Grace hanging from Uriel's neck and grabbed it, smashing it on the floor, releasing her Grace back to her.

"Shut your eyes," Anna ordered them as the Grace took over, "Shut your eyes! Shut your eyes!"

A bright light shone from within Anna, disintegrating Alastair, leaving behind Ruby's knife, as Sam, Michelle, and Dean covered their eyes.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Dean glared at the angels when they opened their eyes to see Anna was gone, "Go get Anna…unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over," Uriel threatened.

"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless," Dean spat back as the angels disappeared.

Sam got up, looking around the room at Michelle, Dean, and Ruby, "You ok?"

Michelle nodded as Ruby glared, "Not so much."

"What took you so long to get here?" Dean asked her.

"Sorry I'm late with the demon delivery," she rolled her eyes, "I was only being tortured."

"I got to hand it to you, Sammy," Dean smiled, "Bringing them all together all at once, angels and demons. It was a damn good plan."

"Yeah, well, when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight," he remarked.

"Wait…" Michelle called out to them, "You _planned_ this?"

The boys turned to see Michelle standing before them with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, _very_ angry.

"Uh…yeah…" Sam replied slowly, very embarrassed that they'd forgotten to tell her about the plan.

She nodded before walking over to them, looking between the two brothers, before kneeing them both in a _very_ sensitive area.

"If you're planning on bringing that fucking bastard anywhere _near_ me again, you _warn me_ next time," she was glaring now, very, _very_ angry.

"O…k…" Dean managed to groan out from his position on the floor next to his brother, writhing in pain.

~8~

Dean, Sam, and Michelle were sitting at the side of the road later on that day, just reminiscing about their plan and how it had gone down.

"I can't believe we made it out of there," Dean remarked, shaking his head.

"Again," Michelle smiled at the brothers.

There was silence for a moment before Sam spoke up, "Michelle…Dean and I…" he glanced at his brother, "We…we heard Alastair in the church, about how much 'fun' he had with you in the pit."

"And you want to know exactly what that meant?" she asked, looking up at them. When they nodded, she let out a sigh, she was by no means ready to talk about it...but...she honestly doubted she ever would be. And, after everything she'd kept from them, they deserved at least this, "They, uh...they sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you..." she swallowed, "Until there was nothing left. And then, suddenly, I would be whole again...just like new...just so they could start in all over, and every time, _every time_, it was different. I never knew what was coming and it _always_ hurt. Alastair knew ways to…" she let out a breath, "He can keep you alive _so_ long, while still inflicting so much pain. He drags it out just so he can hear you scream. No sleep, no food, no rest, no conversation, nothing but hearing your screams and those of others," a tear fell from her eyes as she stared into space, recalling the horror, "And not just physical torture either, they…they _toy_ with you down there. Sometimes they trick you into thinking things or seeing things. Sometimes they give you what you want, family, children, whatever, and then they twist it and…they take it away. And they show you things, they try to make you lose faith, to lose yourself, and then…it just starts again. Over and over and over again."

She let out a shuddering breath, blinking, coming out of her thoughts on Hell, but looking down, "And when you get out…when you're _finally_ free, you doubt yourself, you doubt if it's real. And sometimes, you realize there are things in this world that can hurt you _much worse_ than Hell, and it makes you wonder if…if it was _worth_ it…if there was a _point_, when all you feel is the hurt and the pain, even when you're free," she closed her eyes a moment, "And all you can do is hope it gets better, hope you can push through it, hope everything you fought for wasn't a mistake."

She looked up at Sam, forcing him to recall the words he had shouted at her in anger so long ago. He looked down, tears falling at her description, the guilt of what he'd done to her, what he'd put her through, nearly crushing him. Dean swallowed hard, half-happy that he didn't remember even a smidge of the pain he'd suffered himself, and half-disgusted at himself that he was thinking that when Michelle would be forced to remember it _every moment_ for the rest of her life.

"But then," Michelle finished, "You realize, it _was_ worth it, and that you'd do it all again if it came to it."

And in that one sentence she had forgiven them for anything they might have done to hurt her when she came back from Hell, just like that.

Sam looked away, he didn't deserve it.

~8~

That night in the motel room, Dean rolled over and woke up. He saw the bed next to him empty and quickly sat up, looking for Sam, fearing he may have snuck out to go find Ruby again. But he didn't have to look far, his brother was sitting on a chair near the couch Michelle was sleeping on, hunched over, with his head in his hands.

"Sammy?" Dean squinted in the darkness, "You ok?"

Sam shook his head, still not looking up, and Dean could just vaguely see him shaking, not crying, but almost there, "How could I?" he asked out loud, mumbled though, "She was in _Hell _and I…I didn't do _anything_ to…"

"You didn't know," Dean replied, rubbing his eyes, "No one did."

"But I _should have_ known," Sam looked up, clearly upset, "I should have noticed something, investigated more, followed her whenever she left…done _something_!" he dropped his head again, "She was suffering while I got drunk and screwed a _demon_! And she _forgave _me…why?"

"Dude," Dean stared at him as though the answer should be obvious, "She loves you, that's why."

"She can't," he shook his head, "Not after…"

"Yes after all of that," Dean cut in. Just then Michelle began whimpering in her sleep, the telltale signs of a nightmare starting. Before Dean could even blink Sam was at her side, brushing hair from her face and just stroking her hair, calming her just a bit. Dean sighed, seeing how tortured and guilty his brother felt, "If you still love her…"

"I do," Sam answered quickly, looking up, hoping his brother had the answer.

"Then _prove _it," Dean told him, "Make it up to her, woo her again or whatever crap you two did before. Prove that you deserve her 'cause right now…" he trailed off, sighing, "Right now, if you weren't my brother, I'd say you don't."

Sam frowned at that, looking down a moment in thought, before looking up and nodding then turning his full attention back to Michelle.

Dean could only hope that this was the start of getting his brother away from Ruby and back on the right track in life, back to Michelle.

A/N: And now we know who the HER was that ordered the angels not to harm Dean or Sam. But what's this...what is the REAL reason the angels have to listen to her? What did she give Pamela? I hope, by now, there are hundreds of questions floating around about the mystery that is Michelle...means I've done my job :)

But as for the brothers, now they know about Michelle and what she's done and endured. How will they react once it sinks in? How will the treat her now? I'll just say...she's going to kill them for it.


	12. Family Remains

Family Remains

Sam woke up in the backseat of the Impala, a bit disoriented since the backseat was usually Michelle's seat. He heard whispered voices from the front and sat up to see Michelle and Dean hunched over a map and a newspaper with a small flashlight.

"What are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"What's it look like?" Dean replied.

"Like you're looking for a job."

"Bingo!" Michelle smiled.

"We just finished a job like _two hours_ ago," Sam sighed.

"Adrenaline's still pumping, I guess," Michelle shook her head, not looking up.

"So, what do you think...Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-Town?" Dean glanced over at her.

"I don't know," Michelle frowned, looking between the few circled obituaries.

"Guys, I am all for working, I really am," Sam cut in, "But you've both had us chasing cases nonstop for like _a month_ now. We need _sleep_."

"Yeah, we can sleep when we're dead," Dean remarked.

"You're both exhausted."

"I'm good actually," Michelle shook her head, waving him off.

Sam sighed, rolling his eyes, "No, you're not. Michelle, you're running on fumes, and Dean you keep enabling her, finding hunts and driving nonstop. You can't run forever."

Michelle tensed, before pointing at a circle, "Stratton, Nebraska. Farm town. A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

"Sounds like a ghost," Dean smirked.

Sam shook his head in defeat, "Yes, it does."

~8~

Dean pulled up to a nice-looking, though empty, house, getting out to get a better look at it, "Boy, three bedrooms, two baths, and one homicide," Dean shook his head, "This place is gonna sell like hotcakes."

They entered the house and began to search what was left there, starting with the kitchen, opening cabinets and checking the empty spaces.

"Hey!" Michelle called, her hand pressed against a wall, "Check this out."

Dean walked over and knocked on it, it was hollow, "Huh."

"It's probably a dumbwaiter," Michelle and Sam said at the same time, laughing.

"All these old houses had them," Sam continued.

Dean looked between the two of them before shaking his head, "Know-it-alls."

"What?" Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Dean tried to look innocent.

"You said…" Sam began.

"What?"

Sam shook his head, "Never mind."

They walked out of the room and into a bedroom, "Well, no bloodstains, fresh coat of paint, it's a bunch of bubkis," Dean frowned.

"Needle's all over the place," Sam said, holding the EMF.

"Yeah…" Michelle pointed upwards, "Power lines."

"Great," Sam rolled his eyes and put it away.

Michelle walked over to a closet, opening it up to see a doll's head on the floor, "Uh…"

"Well, that's super disturbing," Dean agreed.

"Think it got left behind?" Michelle turned to them.

"By who?" Dean scoffed, "Unless Bill Gibson likes to play with doll heads."

Just then the sound of a car approaching drifted up to them. They walked to the window, eyes widening when they saw a moving truck.

"Uh oh…" Michelle voiced.

"I thought you said this place was still for sale," Dean glanced at his brother.

"Apparently, it's not," Sam replied.

"Come on," Michelle called, walking off towards the front of the house. There was no way the family moving in would miss the random car parked outside their new house.

"Who are they?" they heard a girl ask as they came down the stairs from the front door. It was a small family moving in, two older men, a woman, and a young girl and boy.

"Can I help you?" a man asked, clearly the father.

"Hi," Sam greeted, walking over to him, "Are you the new owner?"

"Yeah," the man nodded, "You guys are…"

"This is Mr. Stanwyk," Dean replied, pointing at Sam, "That's Ms. Matheson," he nodded to Michelle, "And I'm Mr. Babar. County code enforcement."

"We had the building inspected last week. Is there a problem?"

"Asbestos in the walls, a gas leak…" Sam nodded, "Yeah, I'd say we got a problem."

"Asbestos?" the mother walked up, "Meaning what?"

"Meaning until this house is up to code, it's uninhabitable," Michelle answered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the father held up his hands, "You're saying we can't stay here?"

"It's a health hazard," Dean stated, "You don't _want_ to."

"Hold up," another man walked over, "We just drove four hundred miles..."

"There's a motel just down the road," Michelle nodded to the right, "Till this gets cleaned up, I suggest you stay there."

"Alright, and what if we don't?" the father narrowed his eyes at them.

"Well, you get a fine or you go to jail," Dean smirked, "Pick your poison."

The father looked between the three, trying to stare them down, but eventually sighed and turned to his family, "One night. _One_ _night_, and I'll take care of everything, ASAP, I promise."

"Yeah, you do that," Dean nodded.

"_Another_ motel?" the young girl scoffed, "Awesome, dad. I hope this one has hooker sheets like the last one."

"Danny!" the mother called, looking for her son.

"Come on, Danny!" the father called.

~8~

They eventually got the family to leave and made their way into town to do some digging. They came upon a woman who was the cleaning woman for Mr. Gibson, the previous owner of the house, who also happened to be the one to find Mr. Gibson after he'd been killed.

"What did the room look like when you found it Mrs. Curry?" Sam asked.

"I already told the local boys, there was blood everywhere," Mrs. Curry sighed, staring at them through the screen door of her house.

"And Mr. Gibson, where was he?" Dean continued.

"Everywhere," Mrs. Curry deadpanned.

"How long have you been cleaning Mr. Gibson's house?" Michelle glanced up from jotting down her notes in her notepad.

"About five years."

"So you knew him pretty well," Dean concluded.

"Well, not_ really_ well. He was real private. Not the easiest man. Not that I blame him."

"What do you mean?" Sam narrowed his eyes in question.

"His wife dies in childbirth. Daughter hangs herself in the attic twenty years later. I'd be bitter, too. I think I got some pictures," she disappeared into her house for a moment, coming back with a few pictures, "Here," she opened her door just enough to hand them the pictures.

"Thanks," Dean looked down at them, "Can we keep these?"

"Suit yourself," she shrugged.

"Now, why'd the daughter kill herself?" Michelle brought it back to the questioning.

"I don't know. That was before my time."

"Did you ever notice anything odd in the house when you were cleaning it?" Dean handed the pictures to Sam and Michelle to look at.

"Like what?"

"Like, you know, like lights going on and off, things not being where you left them."

"No," she said quickly but then hesitated, "Well, maybe there was _one_ thing..."

"What's that?" Michelle looked up.

"Well, sometimes, I thought I heard like a...rustling in the walls."

"Like a rat?" Sam guessed.

"Yeah."

"Must have been some big sons of guns out there, huh?" Dean laughed a bit.

"Some Rodents of Unusual Size," Michelle quipped.

"Wouldn't know," Mrs. Curry shrugged, "Never saw any."

"Do you happen to know where Mrs. Gibson and her daughter were buried?" Sam asked.

"They were both cremated."

The brothers nodded, just great.

"Thank you for your time," Michelle smiled at the woman, walking back to the car with Sam and Dean.

"Alright," Sam remarked, "So it probably _wasn't_ the mom or the daughter."

"Then whose ghost was it?" Michelle thought out loud.

"I don't know," Dean shrugged, "But I say we give that place a real onceover and see."

~8~

Dean pulled up to the house once more, only to see the moving van _still _there and lights on inside.

"Crap," Michelle muttered, the family had obviously moved in, "What now?"

"We could tell them the truth," Sam suggested.

Dean and Michelle gave him a look.

"Really?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"No, not really," Sam replied.

Michelle sighed, "Well, we better get in there before something happens…"

Just then, they could hear a girl scream.

"Too late," Dean remarked, getting out of the car with Sam and Michelle, and heading up to the door. He quickly knocked and, moments later, the second man from before opened it, "We heard screams, what's going on?"

"Oh, you!" the father yelled, storming up to them, glaring daggers at Dean, "Did you touch my daughter?!"

"What?" Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "No!"

"Who _are_ you guys?"

"Relax, please," Michelle held up her hands, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You have a ghost," Sam told them.

"A ghost?" the father raised an eyebrow, staring at them skeptically.

"I _told_ you!" the daughter shouted.

"It's the girl!" her brother, Danny, agreed.

"Both of you, relax," the father demanded, "What are you guys playing?"

"Your family's in danger," Michelle replied calmly, but with a serious note that let the man know they were _not _joking.

"You need to get out of the house, now," Sam added.

Just then the lights went out.

"What the hell?" the second man looked around.

"Nobody move!" Dean ordered.

"Buster!" Danny tried to get through the door at the sound of his dog howling in the yard.

"Stay here," Michelle told him as the father, the second man, Sam, Dean, and her went out to investigate.

"Buster!" the father shouted, "Buster? Buster! Buster!"

"What the hell?" the second man repeated, seeing the words TOO LATE painted on the back of the moving van. The rest of the family came out onto the porch.

"Buster!" Danny shouted.

"Go back inside," the father ordered, "Go!"

"We are not the bad guys," Dean cut in, "But you're in danger."

"First thing's first," Sam looked around, "You gotta get your family out of here."

"Head to the motel I was talking about," Michelle finished, "You'll be safe there."

"What are you gonna do?" the father asked as they ran towards the cars.

"Oh, no!" Dean's eyes widened as he saw the tires on the Impala slashed, along with the other vehicles, "Oh, come on! Oh, _come on_!"

"Dude," Sam called from the back of the Impala, "The guns are gone. So is the...basically, everything is gone."

"Great," Michelle replied sarcastically, digging through her pockets and jacket to lay every weapon she had on her onto the trunk for the boys to pick at. It wasn't much, she didn't usually go on hunts armed to the teeth like when she'd demonstrated how many weapons she could hide on her for the boys. She typically only had the usual items, her gun, which she took, some rock salt bullets, holy water, matches, her knife, and a can of salt.

"Truck's no good," the second man informed them, walking over.

"Both tires slashed," the father confirmed.

"What kind of ghost messes with a man's wheels?" Dean demanded as he took the matches and holy water, leaving Sam with the salt and the knife.

"What's going on?" the girl shouted, looking around frantically, before screaming as she caught sight of a pale girl standing in the fields, "She's there! She's there!"

"Where?" her mother spun around.

"She was right there in the woods!" the daughter pointed.

"What's a ghost doing _outside_?" Michelle asked, more to herself than anyone, staring, in question, in the direction the girl had pointed.

"You want to stay and find out?" Sam countered.

"Everybody inside," Dean ordered.

"Are you crazy?" the second man scoffed, "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"In what?" Dean rounded on him, "This ghost is hunting us! Everybody back inside now! Move!"

They ran back into the house, ending up in the dining room. Sam quickly began to make a salt circle with Michelle's salt.

"Whatever's outside, it can't get in this circle," Dean informed them, "As long as the salt line is unbroken, this is the safest place to be."

"Safe from _ghosts_?" the father asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Michelle replied, sensing disbelief from the man.

"Ok," he shook his head, "I'm not listening to this anymore. Come on. I got to get my family out of here. Let's go."

"Nobody's going anywhere until we kill this thing," Dean stated.

"Sir, please," Sam tried to reason with him, "This is what we do. Just...trust us."

"You hunt ghosts?" Danny asked, interested.

"That's right," Dean smirked.

"Like 'Scooby-Doo?'"

"Better," Michelle smiled, at least _someone_ believed them.

"You saw her outside, right?" Sam turned to the daughter, holding out the pictures they'd gotten from Mrs. Curry, "Ok. Does she look like either one of the girls?"

The daughter frowned as she scanned the pictures, her eyes widening as she saw something, "Her. She was paler and a lot dirtier, but that was her."

"That's the girl in the walls," Danny confirmed.

"So it's the daughter?" Dean looked between Sam and Michelle.

"That girl in the picture, she…she's dead?" the mother swallowed hard.

"She killed herself inside this house," Sam told them.

"So, what?" Dean shook his head, "The maid got her story wrong? Rebecca _wasn't_ cremated?"

"Unless her spirit's just attached to something inside the house," Michelle commented.

"She hung herself in the attic, right?"

"You want to babysit?" Michelle glanced at him, "I'll check it out."

"No," Sam said suddenly, "I got it, you stay here with Dean."

"Sam…" Michelle began, a bit angrily.

He'd been doing this a lot lately. Every time they'd go on a hunt and she wanted to go off on her own, for hunting or ambush or bait or even just for research, Sam refused, saying she was safer in the group. It was starting to irritate her, she felt like she couldn't do, wasn't _allowed_ to do, anything for herself any more.

"Look…" the second man cut in, "I don't care who hung themselves where. Maybe something_ is _going on here, but…"

"It's a spirit, man," Dean said flatly.

"No, it's just some backwoods, hillbilly bitch, and I'm _not_ about to sit around here, waiting for her to go all 'Deliverance' on my ass."

"Well, nobody's leaving the house."

"Stop me," the man challenged.

"Look, I'm pretty _pissed_ right now _and_ I've got a _gun_," Michelle stepped up to him, holding out her gun for him to see, "You don't get your ass back in that circle, you're gonna have yourself a third hole."

The man glanced at the gun a moment, then back at her, seeing the threat in her eye, and stepped back towards the family.

"Those are rock salt bullets," Sam leaned over to whisper to her, "It wouldn't kill him."

"It would still hurt like hell," Michelle shrugged, "I'm not letting him or anyone else die tonight."

Sam nodded, glancing up at Dean, "Go," Dean said, nodding towards the door.

Sam was out of the room before Michelle could even argue.

"Hey, Fonzie," the second man glared at Dean, "Question for you. This indestructible force field made out of _salt_...have to be kosher stuff, or what?"

"Knock it off Ted," the mother rubbed her head.

Suddenly there was a creaking noise. Dean and Michelle jumped around, gun raised and ready along with the holy water.

"What was that?" the daughter asked.

The closet door slowly opened to reveal a girl, the one the daughter had seen, walk into the room.

"Mom…" the daughter breathed, stepping back, grabbing her mother's arm.

"Alright, everybody stay calm," Dean told them, stepping back a little too, "She's a ghost. She can't come in the circle."

"Dean…" Michelle called to him, her attention focused on the girl still walking closer, though now revealing a knife in her hand, "Since when do _ghosts_ open doors to enter a room?"

The girl stepped over the salt line, proving a theory Michelle had just created to be true…this was no ghost.

"I thought you said ghosts couldn't cross the circle!" the daughter cried.

"They _can't_," Michelle replied, "She's not a _ghost_."

"Go, go, go!" Dean shouted, pushing the family back more, blocking them as they ran into the next room.

The girl lunged forward, about to stab Dean with the knife, when Michelle shot her with the rock salt, sending her flying back and through the door of the closet, just as Sam appeared around the corner. When the small amount of dust cleared from the breaking of wood they looked over to see the girl was nowhere to be found.

"Hey," the father said, rushing over to Dean, who'd fallen back when the girl lunged at him, helping him up, "You ok?"

"Where is everybody?" Dean looked around at the now empty room.

"Hiding," Michelle answered, glancing into the second room but seeing no one.

"Go get them," Dean told the father, "Go. Go get them."

"So I take it it's _not_ a ghost?" Sam asked, walking into the room. He'd gotten there just as Michelle had shot the girl and, judging by the break in the front door of the closet, she was clearly solid.

"It's just a girl," Michelle nodded, "A ghost wouldn't have needed to _open_ a door to get into the room."

"It's not_ just _a girl," Dean glared at her, "It's psycho Nell. I'm telling you…_humans_…geez…"

"Maybe it's the daughter, Rebecca," Sam guessed, "Maybe she _didn't_ hang herself."

"No," Michelle shook her head, "She'd have to be like fifty years old by now."

"Well, I don't know," Dean let out a breath, turning to Sam, "What'd you find in the attic?"

"Some old junk," Sam shrugged, "I found Rebecca's diary. That's about it."

"I wish you'd found a howitzer. Listen, we got to get this family safe," they started to walk out of the house towards the family they could see in the front yard, "I mean, it's just a human, so they can make a run for it. We just got to hold her off."

"We're ok," they heard the mother reassure her husband as they walked outside.

"Danny!" the father yelled, "Ted! We got to go!"

The second man, Ted, walked up to them, "I'm good!"

"Danny!" the mother shouted, "Come on!"

"Danny, buddy, we got to go!" the father called.

Sam, Dean, and Michelle exchanged worried looks as they realized if the boy wasn't answering, something must have happened.

"Told you it was some crazy bitch," Ted turned to them.

"Yes, you did," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Head to town," Sam instructed.

"We'll take it from here, ok?" Michelle nodded.

"Danny, come on, baby!" the mother shouted, "We're leaving!"

"Danny, we got to go!" her husband yelled.

"Brian…" the mother began to get frantic, "Where…where is he?"

"Danny!"

"Danny!"

"Suze, Suze, Suze," the husband turned to his wife, trying to calm her down, "We will find Danny, I promise you."

"No," she shook her head.

"No. Take Kate and go now. Now, while you still have a chance."

"Not without Danny!"

"We will find him."

"I am not going out there with mom alone," the daughter, Kate, cut in.

"She's right," Dean nodded, "Until we find your son, the safest place for you right now is in the shed."

"I am not going in there either," Kate turned on Dean.

"It _is_ the best defense," Michelle agreed, "The windows are boarded up. It's got one door. It's our best shot right now. Trust me."

"Suze," the father, Brian, pushed them towards the shed, "Kate. Go. Go."

"You go with them," Sam said, nodding at Michelle.

"Excuse me?" Michelle glared at Sam.

"They'll need someone to look after them."

"Glad you volunteered Sam," she smirked, patting him on the shoulder, "Have fun," before he could even open his mouth, Michelle turned to the other men, "You and me will take the outside," she nodded at Brian, "You two will take the house," she nodded at Dean and Ted, "Move out!"

They walked off, leaving Sam staring after them for a moment, before sighing and going over to the shed to help the girls barricade it up.

~8~

Michelle and Brian, made quick work of the yard and the field around the house, but, seeing nothing, they headed back to the shed. Sam had opened the door for them, allowing them to squeeze in, Brian went over to check on his family, though, after a few more minutes of waiting, he was getting antsy.

"Look, why are we just_ standing_ here?" he demanded, glaring at Sam and Michelle, "Let's go in. Let's check the house."

"We have to wait for those guys to get back, ok?" Sam replied.

A knock resounded a moment later, "Sam, it's me," Dean called through the door.

"Help me out," Sam turned to Michelle as the two of them moved a few items out of the way of the door, pulling it open, allowing Dean in.

"Did you get Danny?" Susan asked, stepping up.

Dean glanced up at the woman before looking away, "No."

"No? Well, where's Ted?"

"He's uh…outside," Dean looked down.

"Well, why doesn't he come _inside_?"

Sam and Michelle exchanged looks, knowing whatever Dean was about to say wasn't good.

"Because I had to carry him out. I'm sorry."

"You're...what does that mean? What does that mean, you're sorry?"

"Are you saying that he's dead?" Brian stepped up.

"No, no, he's not saying that he's dead," Susan tried to convince herself, tears in her eyes, "You're not saying that, are you?"

"We were in the walls, and she attacked," Dean said grimly.

"Oh my God," Susan turned into her husband's embrace.

"And I couldn't get to him in time."

"Uncle Ted is dead?" Kate asked.

"I shouldn't have left him alone. I'm very sorry," he stepped out of the shed, not comfortable with having to face the grieving family.

Sam glanced down at Rebecca's diary and started to read it again.

"We'll find him, Suze," Brian turned to his wife, "We will."

"Where else is there to look?" she cried, "Danny's dead, isn't he?"

"No, Suze," he shook his head.

"He is," she sobbed, "Why not? She killed my brother. Now she killed my son."

"No, Danny is alive."

"No, no, he isn't."

"Yes, he is," Michelle cut in, stepping up to the grieving woman, "He _is_, and Dean and I will find him. I promise you. We _will_ find him, _alive_."

"You can't know that," Susan cried, looking up at Michelle, seeing the truth in the girl's eyes but not able to bring herself to hope.

"Yes, I can," Michelle argued, reaching out to put her hands on the woman's shoulders, steadying her, "I promise you, he's alive and we will find him. Ok?" Susan shook her head, "I have never broken a promise before, right Sam?" she glanced over at him, knowing he'd been pretending to read the diary. He looked up, guilt in his eyes as he nodded. She turned back to Susan, "I am not about to start now. Alright?"

Susan took a breath, feeling comforted, "Alright."

"Good," Michelle looked up at Brian, "Now let's go find your son."

Brian nodded, hugging his wife once more, before walking out of the shed with Michelle, Sam barricading the door behind them.

~8~

Dean, Michelle, and Brian were staring up at the house, "I can't lose another son," Brian commented.

"Another?" Dean looked over at the man.

"Andy, my oldest," Brian sighed, "He got himself killed in a car accident last year."

"I'm sorry," Michelle frowned, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"It nearly tore Suze and I apart. Still could, I imagine. That's why we moved here. Fresh air, fresh start. Not even my line. Marriage counselor. 'Course, she might be right. After all, what could possibly go wrong in the country?"

"Don't worry," Dean smiled a bit, "We're going to get your son back."

"Dean!" Sam called, stepping out of the shed, "Michelle!" he held up Rebecca's diary, "We gotta talk."

They glanced at each other before walking Brian back into the shed to stay with his family while the trio headed back into the house.

"What is that?" Dean eyed the small book in Sam's hand.

"Rebecca's diary," he answered, "I just finished reading it."

"And?" Michelle looked at him.

"That girl back there?" Sam hesitated, "Pretty sure she was Rebecca's_ daughter_."

"Rebecca had a kid?" Michelle's brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's all she talks about. Being pregnant, being ashamed of being pregnant."

"Jeez, rent 'Juno' and get over it," Dean rolled his eyes, "Wait, why kill herself after the baby?"

"Maybe because her dad called her a dirty, little whore and said he was gonna lock the baby up?"

"Why would he say that?"

Sam said nothing for a moment, when Michelle and Dean finally got it.

"Gross," Michelle scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"So the daddy was the baby-daddy too?" Dean just wanted to confirm.

"Dude was a monster, Dean," Sam shook his head.

"Wow, a story ripped from an Austrian headline. Humans, man. So she's been locked up her whole life?"

"She's probably barely human," Michelle added.

"Ok, so, what, then, she's been caged up like an animal and she busts out and ganks dear old dad? Slash granddad?"

"I guess," Sam nodded.

"Well, can't say I blame her," Dean scoffed.

"I'm sure her life was hell, Dean," Sam rolled his eyes, "It doesn't mean she gets a free pass for murder."

"Like you know what Hell's like," Michelle mumbled, but the boys heard her anyway.

Sam's eyes widened in alarm, "I didn't..."

"Forget it," she shook her head, "So where do we find her?" she turned to Dean, knowing he'd been in the walls and probably knew something about where to look.

"Kid's gotta eat, right?" Dean answered, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

"What?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"He kept her hidden, locked up, but he had to feed her, didn't he?"

"I guess," Sam shrugged, still not getting what his brother was getting at.

"I think I know where."

~8~

Dean had gone out to get Brian, knowing the man would want to be there when they found his son. Sam had tried to get Michelle to go stay with the women, but she insisted _he_ stay with them and when _neither_ agreed, Dean had just told them _both_ to follow him. He led them towards the kitchen, to the dumbwaiter, and busted a hole in the wall, letting light into the shaft.

"He could've kept her hidden here for years," Michelle remarked, glancing down, "Kept her fed, nobody would ever know."

Brian flinched away from the shaft, at the stench wafting up, before leaning over it, "Danny! Danny!"

Dean leaned forward as well, shining a light down the shaft, as Michelle walked over and nudged him, "Watch out, I'm going down."

"No, you're not," both brothers said at the same time.

"Yes, I am. I'm the smallest one here, and I doubt there's a ton of space down there. I'll be able to move around better."

"Like hell I'm letting you down there with psycho-chick," Dean remarked, glaring at her.

She was glaring at him as well, he'd been doing this too. Whenever they would go on hunts the last month, Sam would complain the whole time, trying to shove her to the side or push her back, but Dean would let her get in the hunt and then, if things got too bad, _then_ he'd shove her back. She didn't know what was worse, not being able to do anything or not being able to get in on the best part!

"No," Brian cut in, "That's my son."

"You don't have any experience dealing with something like this," Dean turned to the man, "_I'm_ going," he glanced at Michelle, "End of discussion," he looked down the shaft an climbed in, making his way down.

"Fine, you know what," Michelle huffed, "I give up. I'll go watch the girls in the shed. Let me know when this is over and I'll be on my way, you won't have to deal with me holding you guys back anymore."

"Michelle!" Sam called, but she just flipped him off and walked out of the room.

Sam glanced at Dean, in the shaft, as he looked up at his little brother, "We'll talk to her after we take care of this," Dean told him, continuing on.

Sam sighed, looking back at the door Michelle had gone through and then over at Brian, "Hey, you got curtains? We need rope."

~8~

Michelle was sitting in the shed, on top of the desk blocking the door, watching as Susan held Kate to her, rocking her back and forth, "It's ok," she whispered to her daughter, "Shh, It's ok."

Suddenly one of the boarded up windows burst in, causing Susan and Kate to jump up, screaming, while Michelle just hopped off the desk, her gun raised. Even though all she had were rock salt bullets, they still hurt and disoriented humans.

Susan grabbed a rake, holding it in front of her like it was a weapon.

Michelle rolled her eyes and stepped before the woman, "Get behind me."

Kate didn't need to be told twice as she ran behind the girl with the gun. Her mother however, just stayed standing next to her. They kept their eyes on the open window, when a knife came through the wall right behind them. Michelle spun around, aiming her gun, as Kate and Susan screamed.

"Oh my God!" Kate shouted.

Then things got quiet. Kate and Susan looked around frantically as Michelle just kept alert. A box against the floor by the wall started to move.

"Mom," Kate gasped at the box.

"She's trying to break in," Michelle told them, no point lying now. She glanced up at Kate, "Stay behind me," she walked over to the box, just as the girl broke through the wall, reaching for them, and kicked her forcefully, hearing a snap as she seemed to have broken the girl's arm, wounding her enough to try and scramble back.

"Stay here!" she yelled at the girls, pushing the desk away from the door and running out. She could see Brian and Danny running toward the shed, "Keep back!" she shouted at them, forcing them to stop as she ran around the side of the shed to see the girl clutching her arm and screaming.

She looked up to see Michelle standing there and let out an inhuman shriek before lunging at her.

Michelle fired the rock salt, sending her flying back into the ground, dropping the knife she'd had in her hand. Not waiting for the girl to get her bearings, Michelle grabbed the knife and stabbed the girl in the heart, stopping her.

"Suze!" she could hear Brian call.

She got up and walked around the shed to see Kate and Susan hugging Brian and Danny. They looked up when they saw her.

"She's dead," was all Michelle said, trying to wipe her bloodied hands off on her shirt.

She looked up to see Sam and Dean running out of the front door, stopping when they saw her cleaning her hands and putting her gun away.

~8~

Dean was jacking down the Impala after replacing the tires that morning, Sam and Michelle crouched a little ways away, a score of weapons and other items that Dean had found down the dumbwaiter scattered before them as they sorted through what was the brothers and what was Michelle's. They seemed to have just finished loading their bags and walked over towards the Impala, Michelle plopping her bag on the ground while Sam threw the brothers' into the trunk when Brian and Susan came walking over.

"Thanks for the head start," Dean smiled at them.

"Why doesn't it surprise me you guys don't like the police?" Brian smiled as well.

"It's sort of a mutual appreciation thing, really," Sam laughed.

"Well, thank you," Brian shook their hands.

"Thank you," Susan agreed.

"You ok?" Michelle asked when Susan shook her hand.

"No, we're the opposite of ok, but we're together," Susan smiled as Brian took her hand, "We'll _be _ok."

Brian and Susan nodded and turned to walk into the house.

Dean turned around, about to shut the trunk, when he noticed Michelle's bag on the ground, "You uh, gonna throw that in here?"

She gave them both a hard look, "No, I'm gonna be off now," she grabbed her bag and started walking down the driveway.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam called, running after her, "Wait. Why are you leaving?"

"I gave you fair warning," she replied, not stopping, "I told you, when this hunt was over, I'm out."

"I thought your little friend came to visit…" Dean mumbled to himself. Michelle turned to glare at him so he held his hands up, "Ok, look, the other half of our stuff's back at the motel, just let us drive you there ok?"

She considered it and nodded, walking back to the Impala.

"What are you doing?" Sam hissed, "You can't honestly let her _leave_!"

"I'm _not_," Dean replied, "Just…trust me."

They went back to the Impala, got in, and drove off to the motel, but before Michelle could get out, Sam and Dean locked the doors and turned to face her in their seats.

"What?" she demanded, crossing her arms to glare at them.

"You ok?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Yes, I'm ok, and you want to know _why _I'm ok?" she shot back, when they didn't answer she continued, "Because I'm not allowed to do shit anymore!"

"What?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Everywhere I go with you guys, on every hunt, you always try and keep me away from the line of fire," she threw her hands up, "You keep treating me like I'm fragile, and you need to _stop_."

"We don't…" Dean began but Michelle cut in.

"Yes, you do. In your own ways, you both keep treating me differently."

"How?" Sam asked.

"_You_ keep pushing me behind you," she told him, "When we hunt, you keep trying to get me to sit back or wait around or guard two women stuck in a shed while you go off and hunt the demon or creature or whatever the hell is after us. And _you_…" she rounded on Dean, "You keep us constantly hunting. I love a good hunt as much as the next guy but you're exhausted. You keep us moving around and doing jobs because you think it'll keep me distracted, keep me from thinking about what happened to me, but it doesn't! Both of you…"

She sighed, rubbing her head, "Why do you think I didn't want to tell you I was in Hell when I realized you didn't know? I _knew _you'd do this to me. Treat me like I'm some breakable doll. I can't…" she took a breath, "You two have to _stop_, every time you treat me like I'm glass it just reminds me about why…all I want is for things to go back to how they were, us finding some sort of creature, hunting it, and cleaning our wounds. I want to be allowed to participate, I want to be treated like nothing happened. Ok? I just want everything to be _normal_ again."

There was silence for a moment as the boys absorbed what she'd said.

She laughed a bit, "Or at least as normal as it can be when you hunt the supernatural."

Dean nodded, "Ok."

"Ok?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"You're right," Sam sighed, agreeing with his brother, "We just…we didn't want you to get hurt, after everything you've been through…"

"And I appreciate that," she smiled gently at them, "But can we just go back to how it was?" she glanced at Sam and looked down, "Or at least, a little of how it was?"

Sam frowned at that. He wanted nothing more than for it to go _completely_ back to how it had been, but he could see Michelle needed time to take in everything that was different. He looked at Dean, who nodded.

"Ok," they said.

A/N: I can't imagine how badly Michelle must have wanted to kill the brothers if they were treating her like that for a month! But I love Dean's little line about her 'friend' coming to visit, I could see him blaming a lot of her anger on that lol.

Have to say, it seems like we might be making progress on the whole Sam/Michelle 'patching up the relationship' thing eh? Too bad the next chapter will set them back...


	13. Criss Angel Is a Douchebag

Criss Angel Is a Douchebag

Sam, Dean, and Michelle were walking through the streets of the city, dressed in their suits, working on a job. Things had gone much better on the last few hunts than they had been, Sam and Dean had both pulled back a lot in regards to letting Michelle participate. It was almost like things were back to how they had been, the three of them actually working together to get a hunt done. The only thing Michelle could think of that wasn't like before was her and Sam. It had been torture, in the figurative sense, to be back with the boys, pulling jobs, and not having the same relationship she'd had, with Sam especially.

She couldn't begin to count the number of times she'd woken up on the couch, clutching a pillow to her, thinking it was Sam. But, things between them had gotten better since he'd mellowed out about letting her hunt again. They were back in synch and she loved that, they way they hunted, the way they finished each other's thoughts and made plans and did research together was great! And last night…they'd fallen asleep on the couch of the motel together. Not the same as the bed, but waking up with him next to her was _perfect_. It had been the first time in a long while that she hadn't had a nightmare. She didn't doubt that, over the next few days, they might be able to move back to the bed once more.

She hadn't told him she loved him again…it actually went without saying. No one would go to Hell for someone they didn't love. And she got the feeling he might still love her too, despite what he had yelled at her on an earlier hunt. When he had been tense with her hunting, he'd often gotten more hurt than Dean trying to keep her safe. She could only hope that meant he _did_ love her.

"This isn't a trick, ok?" a voice said, drawing her out of her thoughts. They had passed a magician on the street, doing a card trick for the people standing there, "I don't do tricks. This is a demonstration about demons and angels," Michelle scoffed as Sam and Dean watched him skeptically, "Love and lust..."

"What a douchebag," Dean mumbled to them.

"All that stuff mixed up in my head."

"That's Jeb Dexter," Sam told him.

"I don't even wanna know how you know that," Dean replied.

"He's famous...kinda," Sam shrugged.

"For what?" Michelle leaned over, smirking at Dean, "Douchebaggery?"

"But whatever happens...no matter how messed up it gets," Jeb told the crowd, "Don't touch me, ok?" the crowd, mostly females, continued to watch intently, "For your own safety," he took a deep breath and shook his head before suddenly breaking out into violent shakes, seemingly 'possessed.' The trio began to laugh while the crowd looked concerned. He then threw his cards at the window of a shop next to him, shouting, "GO BACK TO HELL, DEMON!"

One card, the Ace of Diamonds, stuck to the inside of the window. Jeb ran his hand over it, revealing it was not stuck to the outside. He turned to the crowd, "Is this your card?"

The crowd burst out into cheers while Sam and Dean looked on, shaking their heads. Michelle, however, burst out in laughter, she was so loud that even Jeb noticed.

"It appears we have a non-believer amongst us," Jeb said, glancing over at Michelle.

"Oh I believe alright," she told him, "That you're a complete fake."

Jeb actually looked offended at that statement before turning back to the crowd, "I see not everyone believes in magic."

"You call _that_ magic? Please, I could do that _without_ getting possessed."

Jeb simply held out his cards in challenge.

She smiled at him, sifting through the deck, looking at the cards, before pulling one out, "You might want to hold on to your duplicate," she said, holding up a second Ace of Diamonds for them to see before handing it over to him. The crowd looked over at the window where the first Ace of Diamonds was still sitting, "Could you…" she pointed at the card, silently asking Jeb to go and pull the Diamond in the shop down. He did so, a bit stunned, and came back out, "Thank you, you can hold on to that too," she then shuffled the deck and walked up to Jeb, holding it out, "Pick a card," she told him, shuffling the deck once more after he did, "Now show the crowd," he held up the Seven of Spades for them to see but hidden from Michelle, "Now put it back anywhere in the deck," she shuffled it again when he did so. She paused a moment before throwing the deck at the window.

The Queen of Hearts stuck to the inside of the window.

"That's not my card!" Jeb shouted triumphantly, turning to face her smugly.

"I know," she replied, turning to walk off, "Check your pocket!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Jeb hesitate a moment before feeling all his pockets, finally pulling the Seven of Spades from his back pant pocket. The crowd and the boys were stunned, she hadn't stepped anywhere _near_ him.

Sam and Dean smirked at each other, before running off after Michelle, who had just completely humiliated the wannabe magician.

"How'd you do that?" Sam asked her, in awe.

She smirked, "A magician never reveals her secrets."

"You're my hero," Dean added, glancing back at Jeb, who was trying to calm a now-grumpy mob, "I can't believe people actually fall for that crap."

"It's not _all _crap," Michelle laughed.

"What part of that was not a steaming pile of BS?"

"_His_ stuff was crap," Sam agreed, before looking at Michelle, "But apparently that's not all magicians."

Michelle nodded, "It does take some serious skill."

"Oh, Sammy knows that alright," Dean said amusedly, "He was actually into this stuff, weren't Sammy? You had like a deck of cards and a wand?"

"Dude, I was thirteen!" Sam defended, "It was a _phase_."

"Just bugs me," Dean shrugged, "Actually, it _offends_ me. Y'know, playing into demons and magic, when the real thing'll kill you bloody."

"Like a guy who drops dead of ten stab wounds without a tear in his shirt?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"That's what I'm talking about," Dean grinned, ready to get back to their case.

~8~

They found themselves, later that day, in the deceased magician, Vance's, assistant's room, speaking to her as she packed her supplies.

"Does your boss have any, ah, enemies that you know of?" Dean asked her.

"Vance had plenty of enemies," she replied, grabbing a colorful, never-ending handkerchief from a bag and pulling it out.

"How so?" Michelle asked, jotting down notes on her notepad.

"He would steal from other magicians. All the time."

Sam glanced at Dean, who was currently watching as the assistant continued to pull the handkerchief, slightly intrigued, "What would he steal?" Sam continued the questioning.

"Stage effects, close-up techniques, anything he could get his hands on," she shrugged.

"Is that enough to get him killed?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"These guys take this stuff pretty seriously," she scoffed, lifting up a coat on the bed to reveal a white bunny underneath it, "There you are," she cooed, picking up the bunny.

"Did you find anything weird in Vance's stuff?" Michelle asked.

Dean glanced at the pile of magic equipment, "Well, weird_er_."

The assistant looked up in thought, "Matter of fact I did," she put the bunny down and picked up a tarot card from inside a cape. She held it up to reveal a picture of a man with ten swords stabbing his body, just like the way Vance had died.

"I'm guessing this didn't belong to Vance," Sam eyed the card.

"He _hated _card tricks," she shook her head, handing him the card, "He never wanted them around. Let alone in his precious cape."

~8~

Dean had decided to split up after talking to Vance's assistant, he'd gone to talk to some other magicians in town while Sam and Michelle went back to the motel room to do what they did best, research. They'd been looking up random information for the last six hours and it was starting to take its toll. Michelle had passed out on the bed, a book next to her as she laid on her side, asleep.

Sam was sitting at the table, typing quietly on his computer. He looked up to see Michelle still sleeping and couldn't help but smile at the sight. He knew she'd been having less nightmares lately, which he could only take as a good sign, but whenever she did, he made damn sure _he_ was the one comforting her and trying to calm her down, not Dean. The whole ordeal, the months worth of missing sleep routinely, had made her more tired than she liked to admit, whenever she laid down for more than five minutes she was out like a light. He didn't have the heart to wake her either, at least not now. They didn't have to meet Dean for another hour or so.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

He got up and quickly made his way over, not wanting the knocking to persist and wake up Michelle. He cheeked the peephole and let out an annoyed breath before opening the door to reveal Ruby standing there, her arms folded.

"What are you doing here Ruby?" he demanded.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she replied, pushing her way into the room.

"I'm working a job," he answered, shutting the door.

"The whole world's about to be engulfed in hellfire and you're in Magic Town USA?"

"You got something against magic?" he laughed.

"That would almost be funny if 34 seals hadn't been broken already. _34_, Sam! That's over _halfway_!"

"Shh," he hushed, glancing over at Michelle, who squirmed but otherwise remained sleeping.

"Really Sam?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, "The angels are _losing_ this war, every day is one day closer, and you're worried about Sleeping Beauty over there? If someone doesn't do something soon…"

"And that someone is _me_?" he cut in angrily.

"Who _else _would it be?"

"I don't know where these seals are, I don't know squat!" he hissed at her, trying to contain his anger and not wake up Michelle, "So why don't you tell me where you'd like me to start?!"

"Well, you can quit dickin' around here for one thing. Bigger fish, Sam. And if the seals are being broken? Ya might wanna go after the one doin' the breaking."

"Lilith?"

"Cut the head of the snake," Ruby nodded, "You're the only one who can stop her, Sam," she walked up to him on her way to the door, pausing when they were shoulder-to-shoulder, "So step up and kill the little bitch."

"Oh, I'm game, believe me," he told her, stopping her, "It's not the psychic thing I gotta problem with."

"Yeah, I know, what you got a problem with but tough! It's the _only _way!"

It was silent for a long while before Sam firmly said, "No."

"Y'know, this would all be _so much_ easier if you just admit to yourself that you like it," Ruby told him. Sam almost laughed at that, "That feeling that it gives you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Sam glared.

"Oh, I don't, huh?" Ruby returned the glare full force, "Fine," she turned and headed for the door, stopping in the doorway to face him, "It's simple. Lucifer rises, the Apocalypse starts. You think you have demons on your hands _now_? People are gonna _die_, Sam, _oceans _of people. So you just let me know when you're ready."

And with that, she stormed out of the room. Sam sighed heavily, walking over to the bathroom to splash water on his face.

As soon as he shut the door, Michelle's eyes fluttered open and she looked down at the floor, frowning in thought, more questions about what Sam and Ruby were talking about than anything dealing with the current job.

~8~

An hour later would find Sam and Michelle standing in the crowd inside the town's theater, waiting for Dean, both looking very deep in thought.

"Find anything interesting?" Dean asked, walking up to them.

Michelle glanced up at Sam, coming out of his thoughts but not seeming to have heard Dean, "No," she answered, "You?"

"Nothin' I wanna talk about...or think about_ ever_ again."

Michelle just raised an eyebrow at him before the curtains opened to reveal a magician opening for the night.

Dean tapped Sam on the shoulder, nodding towards the side of the stage where they could just see two older men standing off to the side, watching the scene. They slowly made their way backstage and over to the them.

"The Chief, huh?" Dean called out, earning a smug smile from them.

"What's the matter?" the first man, Charlie he recalled, asked, "Chief not your type?"

Dean chuckled tensely, "Y'know, I could have you both arrested for obstruction of justice."

"How?" the second man, Vernon, replied, "You're no Fed."

"We con people for a living, son," Charlie waved him off, "Takes more than a fake badge to get past us."

Sam and Dean laugh nervously while Michelle rolled her eyes at how obvious they could be.

"You got us," Dean admitted, "Yeah, we are actually...aspiring magicians."

"And assistants," Michelle added, deciding to play along for now.

"Yeah, we came to the convention 'cause we thought we could learn something," Sam nodded.

"Yeah, get some ideas for our new show," Dean smiled.

"Ooh, what kinda show?" Vernon mocked.

"It's…it's, ah..." Sam trailed, looking to Dean for help.

"It's a brother act," Michelle cut in.

"Yeah!" Dean yelled, "Yeah, you know with rings and doves and...rings."

The crowd started to cheer and clap as the announcer welcomed the entertainment for the night, "Ladies and Gentlemen I give you…The Incredible Jay!"

"Wanna learn something?" Charlie asked them, "Stick around," he took a straightjacket to the stage and handed it to Jay, helping him get into it as the trio watched closely.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to witness is a feat so daring, so dangerous even the great Houdini dared not attempt it," Jay announced, "I give to you…The Executioner!" he looked up towards the platform where a noose hung down.

The crowd cheered as Jay stood up on the platform, allowing Charlie to slip the noose around his neck. He then called a man from the audience and had him examine the restraints, "Now, sir, as you can see this jacket is the real article," the man walked off the platform, "Now I will have one minute, sixty seconds, to escape certain death. Let's see if I can do it."

Jay glanced nervously at Charlie, who closed the curtains for his friend. A timer started above the stage, counting down sixty seconds as the silhouette of Jay struggled to free himself beneath it. He was _still_ struggling at thirty five seconds as the trio started to look worried. Jay grunted as he tried to break free, the crowd watching in a horrified fascination. Fifteen seconds…ten seconds…

"I don't think he's gonna make it," Dean commented.

Time was up, the buzzer went off, and the floor fell through, tightening the noose around Jay's throat. His silhouette struggled in the air, strangling himself, until he stopped moving. Charlie quickly pulled back the screen, to reveal Jay standing there, looking very confused, like not even _he _could believe he'd succeeded.

"That was amazing!" Dean said, genuinely impressed with the show, "That was frickin' _amazing_!"

"That was...not humanly possible," Sam disagreed, dumbfounded. He looked at Michelle to see her nodding in agreement.

Jay should be dead.

~8~

Dean, Sam, and Michelle were sitting around the motel room, reading various books and papers having to do with magic and Jay, trying to figure out what was going on. Dean was sprawled out on his bed while Michelle sat on the couch.

"Looks like this guy Jay was a pretty big deal in the seventies," Sam called, sitting at the table with his laptop.

"Which, in Magician Land, means what exactly?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Big enough to play a Radio City Music Hall."

"What got him stuck in the 'Where Are They Now file?'"

"He got old."

"Ok, so maybe...Incredible Jay is using real magic to stage a comeback?"

"It's possible," Michelle agreed, "Some kinda spell that works a death transference."

"How's the tarot card mix into it?" Dean looked at her.

"I don't know," she shook her head.

"Man...I hope I die before I get old," Dean said, standing up, his comment making Sam look up, "The thing seems brutal, don't it?" he picked up a tarot card as Michelle went back to her reading.

Sam looked deep in thought though, "Think we will?" he asked them.

Michelle looked up, "What?"

"Die before we get old."

"Haven't we all already?" Dean replied smugly as Michelle just shook her head.

"You know what I mean, Dean," Sam gave him a look, "Do you still think we'll be...chasing demons when we're sixty?"

"I hope so," Michelle smirked.

"What?" Dean and Sam looked over at her.

"Could you imagine _me_ as a little old lady walking through a haunted house with a shotgun and scaring the daylights out of stupid kids who don't believe it's haunted?" she laughed greatly at that, "I would_ love_ that!"

The boys just shook their heads at her, "No, I think we'll be dead," Dean said bluntly, "For good," Sam laughed humorlessly, "What, you wanna end up like…like Travis? Or Gordon, maybe?"

"There's Bobby," Michelle supplied.

"Oh, yeah, _there's_ a poster child for growing old gracefully," Dean rolled his eyes, laughing as he sat back on his bed.

"Maybe we'll be different Dean," Sam replied.

Dean scoffed, "What kinda Cool Aid you drinkin', man?" he looked up to see Sam staring at Michelle, now reading her book once again, seeming to not notice Sam looking at her. Dean sighed, "Sammy, it ends bloody or sad. That's just the life."

"What if we could win?" Sam shut his laptop, looking hopeful.

"Win?" Dean replied skeptically.

Michelle looked up at that, an almost sad look on her face, she knew where this was coming from, what had inspired those words and it wasn't anything good.

"If there was a way we could just...put an end to all of it," Sam continued.

Dean seemed to sense the same thing Michelle was as he raised an eyebrow, "Is there somethin' going on that you're not tellin' me?"

"No," Sam answered quickly, _too_ quickly.

Michelle sighed, looking down and shaking her head to herself. And this was it, _this_ was why they wouldn't be able to get back to where they'd been. He was keeping things from her, from them both, granted...she was too...but his secrets involved _demons_. She...she couldn't trust him, not entirely, not while Ruby was still around.

"Sammy," Dean warned, telling him he knew he was lying.

"No!" Sam defended, getting up, "I'm just saying, I...I just wish there was a way we could...go after the source, that's all. Cut the head off the snake."

"Well, the problem with the snake is that it has a thousand heads," Michelle replied cryptically.

"Evil bitches just keep piling outta the Volkswagen," Dean agreed.

Sam folded his arms, taking in what they had said, but not looking happy about it at all, "Yeah...I guess you're right."

Dean watched him closely for a second before sighing, "Well, let's go see if you can track down Jay. I'll see what I can dig up on this tarot card."

~8~

On their way to check out Jay later that day, they ended up in Jeb's hotel room when they saw a coroner rolling him out in a body bag. Dean had gone to talk to the officer in charge, getting the report while Sam took a quick look around the room and Michelle went to peek at the body.

"Hey!" she called, seeing them walk out of the hotel.

"So the maid found Jeb hanging from his ceiling fan," Dean filled her in, "The police think it was a suicide."

"I beg to differ," she smirked, pulling out a tarot card from her pocket, "Pulled a little sleight of hand."

She handed Sam the card to see a man hanging from a tree with the label 'The Hanged Man,' "This was on Dexter's body?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"If this spell is a death transference, then these cards work like black magic targets," Dean remarked.

"Any connection between the victims?" Sam looked up at them.

"Jeb was a total douchebag to Jay yesterday."

"What about the first vic? Vance?"

"Vance was heckling Jay at the bar the day he was killed," Michelle added, recalling some other comments Vance's assistant had made about him.

They all exchanged looks, from the way things were going, it _had_ to be Jay.

"Ok, so Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the table of death..." Sam began.

"And Vance takes ten swords to the chest," Michelle finished.

"Then Jay slips a noose and Jeb doesn't. Helluva trick."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "It's time we had a little chat with Jay. Any luck tailin' him?"

Sam smiled sheepishly as Dean looked up at him, "He slipped me."

"He's a 60-year-old man," Michelle raised an eyebrow. She'd gone back to the motel to research while Sam was supposed to follow Jay.

"He's a magician!" Sam defended.

~8~

They finally managed to track Jay down and follow him to his motel room. They watched as he unlocked the door and went in, their heads popping around the corner to watch. As soon as he was in the room, they stalked down the hall, guns drawn, pausing just outside the door to make sure no one was watching as Dean kicked the door in. They stormed into the room, surprising the hell out of Jay.

"Oh my God!" he shouted, backing up.

"Up against the wall!" Dean shouted.

"Who are you?" Jay put his hands up, "What do you want?"

"Now!"

"We know what you've been up to!" Sam yelled, eyes and gun trained on Jay as he backed up towards the wall.

"Been workin' some real bad mojo to jump start your act?" Dean glared at the man.

"What?" Jay's eyes widened in confusion, "I dunno what you're talking about."

"We know you put a spell on those tarot cards," Sam told him.

Michelle frowned at the man's reaction, he seemed _way_ too shocked and confused to be faking it…maybe he _wasn't_ the one responsible?

"Messing with real magic," Dean clarified.

"_Real_ magic?" Jay laughed nervously, "C'mon, there's no such thing as real magic."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah, believe me, I've been around this stuff my whole life, it's all just…it's…it's illusions," he insisted, "It's tricks, it's…" he stepped forward, but Sam and Dean tightened their grips on their guns, making him step back again, "It's all _fake_."

"Jeb Dexter strung up, was _that _just an illusion?"

"What?" Jay's mouth dropped open in shock, "Something happened to Jeb?"

"He was found hanged in his room," Michelle answered, frowning, that reaction was real as well.

"Right after you slipped the noose last night," Dean told him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jay pleaded, "Please, just let me go."

"I don't think it's him guys," Michelle lowered her gun, shaking her head.

"Something's not right," Dean agreed.

"Usually they're whoopin' some bad ass hoodoo at us by now," Sam confirmed.

Dean glanced at Michelle and then Sam, "What do you wanna do?"

~8~

Michelle shook her head as she watched the brothers finish tying Jay up to his chair. It was just like them to go all dramatic on someone. She had suggested they all sit down and tell Jay what they suspected had happened, telling them he had nothing to do with it. But the brothers insisted he could be an accomplice or something and decided to tie him up until they could figure something else out.

"Alright," Sam sighed, "So if it's not him, who is it?"

"Even if Jay's not workin' the magic, he's still gettin' the reward," Dean commented, "His shows are sellin' out."

"So then whoever it is, they're obviously in Jay's corner," Michelle decided.

"Alright, so we got Vernon and Charlie on the list, anyone else?" Dean looked at them.

"Not sure."

"Ah...we could ask him," Sam shrugged.

Dean nodded and turned around to look at Jay, only to see he was gone and the ropes were lying on the floor.

"Guess we shoulda seen that one coming," Dean commented sheepishly.

"You think?" Michelle rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Sam headed towards the door, "He couldn't have gotten that far."

They ran out of the room, not noticing Jay slip out of the closet behind them, and all the way into the foyer of the motel.

"No way he could outrun us," Sam commented, looking around.

"Maybe he vanished?" Dean suggested, "I mean, he really_ is_ good."

"Or he found a back door," Michelle added.

Suddenly Jay came running down the stairs, shouting, "That's them! Those are the nutjobs who just broke into my room!"

They turned around to see two police officers rushing towards them, guns drawn, "Freeze! Hand's where I can see 'em!"

The trio sheepishly put their hands in the air.

~8~

They didn't have to sit in the jail long. That night the officers got a call that Jay was dropping the charges, meaning they had to release the trio. Wondering just why the man who had called the cops on them in the first place decided to renege, they made their way back to Jay's room, only to see him waiting for them in the foyer.

"Thanks for droppin' the charges," Sam smiled at him gratefully.

"You mind tellin' us why you did it?" Dean asked while Michelle crossed her arms.

"We have to talk," Jay told them, turning to walk away. They followed him to a bar across the street, waiting till Jay had ordered a scotch and began talking again, "I was just a kid when we first met. All I knew was how to cheat at cards, Charlie got me outta more scrapes than I can count," Sam glanced at Dean, understanding how Jay felt, "Hell, I woulda been dead by the age of twenty if it hadn't been for him. He was more than my friend. He was my _brother_."

This time Dean glanced at Sam.

Michelle smiled at their brotherly moment before turning to Jay, "I'm sorry Jay," she reached out and rested a hand over his, squeezing it in sympathy before pulling away. She could tell, something must have happened to Charlie too, something involving the man's show.

"Look, I shoulda listened to you guys when you told me that my show was killing people," Jay sighed.

"Well...you weren't the one pullin' the trigger," Dean tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, but someone did and I wanna find out who did this to Charlie so I'll do whatever you guys say, just tell me what to do," Jay looked at them hopefully.

"Jay, whoever's doin' this...they like you," Sam told him, "They're probably _close_ to you."

Jay looked puzzled by that.

"Did Charlie and Vernon get along?" Michelle asked, thinking about the only two men she could think of associated with him.

"No, no it's not Vernon," Jay said firmly, shaking his head fiercely, it _couldn't_ be.

"He's the only one that makes sense," Dean replied solemnly.

"Charlie and Vernon were your family, Jay," Sam continued.

"And now Charlie's gone."

"Yeah, but...they butted heads sometimes but Vernon could _never_ do something like this," Jay swore.

"See, the thing about _real_ magic," Michelle began, "Is it's a whole lot like crack...people do surprising things when they get a taste of it."

Sam glanced over at her worriedly, but she didn't look at him. She knew what he was thinking, he wasn't sure if she was talking _to_ Jay or maybe _about_ HIM, because what she'd said…he knew he could apply to himself. But that was ridiculous, Michelle didn't know what he'd done, despite telling her and Dean about his relationship with Ruby, he hadn't told them _that_.

Though unknown to Sam…the truth was, it was a little of both.

"You better be damn sure about this," Jay said after a moment, "Vernon is all I got left."

~8~

They stood outside Vernon's motel room, waiting for Jay to make the call and get him out of there. They could just hear the phone ring when they moved around the corner to wait. A minute or so later Vernon left the room and walked off. Sam, Dean, and Michelle peeked around the corner, watching him leave. Once he was out of sight they crept over to the door, Sam crouching down to pick the lock. He slowly opened the door, stepping in with Dean and Michelle, and began looking around.

"Wow, it's like a magic museum," Sam commented, looking at all the various fake magical items scattered around the room.

"You must be in heaven," Dean smirked. Sam just threw an unimpressed look at his brother as Dean just continued to look around, "This guy didn't travel light."

"He's been on the road his whole life, everything he owns is probably in this room," Michelle remarked, picking up a photo and putting it down.

"Let's get started," Dean shook his head, starting them off on their serious investigation. He looked through a few of Vernon's things, not that there was much to go through, "It's just a bunch of old timey magic stuff. None of it _magic_."

"No herbs, no candles, and no tarot cards," Michelle added, stepping back from the small cabinets in the room and turning to face the brothers.

Dean walked over to some old posters advertising magician shows and paused when he saw one of what looked like a young Charlie, "I'll be damned."

"What?" Sam walked over from checking under the bed and in bags, along with Michelle.

Dean held the poster up for them to see, "Look like anyone we know?"

"Charlie!" Michelle shouted.

And then they were off, speeding down the road in the Impala to get to the theater where Jay was meeting Vernon. They needed to stop Jay from confronting Vernon and tell him what they'd found.

They raced into the theater just in time to see a young Charlie standing before Jay and Vernon, offering them immortality. It seemed as though Jay had just declined and Charlie looked guilty and sad.

"Jay...we can be _young_ again," Vernon turned to his friend.

"The three of us together, vital and alive," Charlie smiled, "Forever."

"Not so fast!" Dean shouted as the trio walked towards the stage, their guns at their sides, "I ain't Guttenberg and this ain't Cocoon," they jumped up on stage, Charlie standing between Vernon and Jay. Dean gestured to them with his gun and the two older men moved, leaving Charlie alone, "Immortality? That's a neat trick."

"That's not a trick," Charlie commented. Suddenly a noose flew down and wrapped itself tightly around Dean's neck, "It's _magic_."

The rope tugged upwards, pulling Dean off the ground.

Sam shot at Charlie but he merely opened his mouth and spit out the bullet into his hand, "Hey, bullet catch, been working on that," he tossed the bullet into the air, Sam watching it as Charlie disappeared into thin air, Michelle's eyes widened as she had been focusing on Charlie.

"Get him!" Dean shouted at them, struggling with the rope.

"Sam!" Michelle pointed around, directing his attention to Charlie, standing on the other side of the stage.

"Let him go!" Sam demanded, "Now!"

"Just leave me and my friends alone," Charlie told him.

"I said _now_!" Sam pointed the gun at him as Jay watched, distressed.

"Alright, I _will _give it up," Charlie spoke, sounding very insincere, "The spells, the hexes, this is the last time, I promise."

Sam lunged at Charlie, not believing him for a second, but Charlie disappeared again, reappearing behind him. Before Michelle could even open her mouth to call a warning or fire a shot, Charlie shoved Sam away, half-throwing him onto the 'Table of Death,' making all the shackles lock around his ankles and wrists.

"Sam!" she shouted, rushing towards the table, but Charlie threw out an arm, sending her flying back and pinning her to the wall.

"My mother always told me not to harm a lady," he told her, turning his attention back to Sam and Dean. He concentrated on the rope above the table of death, making it fray, dropping the spikes closer and closer to Sam.

Suddenly he clutched his stomach in pain.

He looked over at Jay to see Jay had stabbed _himself_ in the stomach with a knife, the same place Charlie was now bleeding from. Jay removed the knife, letting it fall to the floor as Charlie did, Vernon watching in horror. Jay just held up Charlie's tarot cards from his pocket.

"Jay..." Charlie began, checking his own pocket to pull out a single card, 'The Magician,' "You pick these..._strangers_ over _me_?"

Jay just watched in disbelief as Charlie fell forward, dead. The shackles on Sam released themselves just as Dean and Michelle dropped down from the air. Sam quickly got off the table, just before the rope snapped and the spikes fell through. Michelle ran to Dean's side, pulling the noose off him as he coughed and sputtered for air.

"You ok?" she asked, looking at the two of them.

Sam nodded as Dean said, "Yeah, I'm alright."

They looked over at Jay, still staring at Charlie's body, heartbroken.

~8~

They found Jay sitting in a bar that night, drinking and playing with a deck of cards. He seemed to be a tad drunk by the time the trio walked over to him.

"Hey, Jay," Dean greeted, "We wanted to, ah, thank you for what you did yesterday."

"I killed my best friend yesterday and you wanna _thank _me?" Jay looked up at him.

Dean looked at a loss for words as he looked at Sam and Michelle a moment, sharing a sad, regretful look.

"Where's Vernon?" Sam asked.

"Oh, he's gone," Jay waved, "Said he didn't wanna speak to me again after what I did to Charlie."

"Listen, Jay, you know Charlie was _never _gonna give up what he was doing," Dean said quietly, "Ever."

Jay nodded.

"You did the right thing," Michelle told him.

"You sure about that?" he looked up at her, "You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead. Because _I_ did the right thing," he got to his feet, looking very distressed, "He offered me a gift and I just threw it back in his face," he tossed his cards on the table, "So now I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone," he finished off his drink and turned, pausing when he stepped up to them, "What's so_ right_ about _that_?" he scoffed and began to leave, guilt ridden.

Sam and Dean stood there, frowning, as a female bartender came over to the table to clear it. Seeing his cards, she called out, "Jay, your cards!"

Jay glanced back at her, an empty look in his eyes, "Throw 'em away."

The bartender looked troubled by that, when Michelle turned to her, "Can I have those?" the bartender hesitated before handing them over. Michelle ran over to Jay, "Jay!" she called, getting him to pause once more, "Pick a card. Please," she said when he seemed about to argue. He sighed and pulled a card out, the Ace of Hearts. He looked at it, stunned, Charlie always had to remind him that he _never_ managed to pull the Ace of Hearts, every other Ace but not that one. He looked up at Michelle, who handed him back his cards, taking the Ace of Hearts, jotting down a number on it, and sliding it into his breast pocket, "If you need to talk…I _do _understand what it's like to lose your family."

He stared at her a moment, seeing the loss in her eyes as she recalled the death of her parents, he nodded and patted his heart before walking out, feeling just a bit lighter than he had when he entered.

She walked back over to the boys, both of whom were watching Jay leave, "I think he'll be ok."

"Well, I dunno about you, I could go for a beer," Dean shook his head.

They looked at Sam to see he had a serious look on his face, "I'm gonna take a walk."

Dean watched curiously as Sam left the bar but made no move to follow. Michelle could see the indecision and fear in his face and sighed, "Want me to keep an eye out on him?" she offered, knowing she wouldn't be much use in a bar given that she didn't drink.

Dean frowned and nodded.

Michelle patted him on the back and walked out. She paused at the door when she saw Sam on a cell phone, talking to someone. When he clicked it closed and turned to walk down the street she began to follow. She saw him walk towards an alley where she could barely see the nose of a car peeking out. She crept closer, but stayed far enough away from the corner of the alley that no one could see her, but she could hear them. She glanced around it for a split second, seeing Sam leaning into the passenger's side door of a car Ruby was driving.

"Ok, I'm in," Sam said, getting in the car.

"What changed your mind?" Ruby asked.

"I don't wanna be doin' this when I'm an old man," was all he said, before Ruby pulled away and sped off into the night.

Michelle stepped around the corner of the alley, watching them drive off. An unsettling feeling rose up in the pit of her stomach.

This was _not _a good development.

A/N: And Sammy-boy gets out that shovel again. Just after he manages to get himself out of one hole he starts digging another. Poor Michelle, to come SO close to having that relationship back only to, in a way, lose Sam to Ruby once more. As much as I love Sam/Michelle...this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how bad things will get between our beloved couple. As Dean once said, Sam has started to go off the reservation, and that's what this season/series will be about, that dark path Sam will walk and the struggle of Michelle and Dean to get him back. Ruby's had much more of an influence on Sam than anyone realizes, which we'll start to see very soon. And Michelle, bless her, now that she's recovered more, will start to notice things about him, become even more suspicious as to what they were discussing in the hotel room.

Poor, poor Michelle.


	14. After School Special

After School Special

Dean had seen a headline in a local paper about a girl who had beaten and then drowned a classmate in the toilet during school hours, only to later claim she was possessed by something. That sounded right up their alley.

Sam and Michelle had decided to look into the girl's records, interview her, see if they could determine if she was really possessed or not. Dean just wanted to sit in the Impala and rock out while he waited.

They managed to get some hospital whites, orderly outfits, and went to visit April, the girl who attacked. They were currently sitting in front of her, Sam holding a clipboard, while Michelle jotted down information in her notepad.

"I'm not talking about it anymore," April said, "I already told the cops and the doctors. No one believes me. They think I'm crazy."

"Well, we're a little bit more open-minded than most," Michelle assured her, "April, why did you tell the police you were possessed?"

"It doesn't matter," she sighed.

"It matters to us," Sam countered.

"When I…when I hurt Taylor, I was there, in my head, but I couldn't control my body. I could see what I was doing, but I couldn't stop. I just wanted to stop. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Michelle reached out and laid a hand on the girl's arm, trying to comfort the distressed girl.

"April, some of the kids at school told the police that you and Taylor didn't get along," Sam continued.

"Well, yeah, but I never wanted to _kill_ her," she defended, "_Never_. Do you believe me?"

Sam and Michelle looked at each other and smiled at her, nodding, "Yeah, we do," Michelle nodded, "Just a couple more questions."

"On the day this happened, did you...happen to smell anything?" Sam narrowed his eyes in question.

"Anything...like what?" she shook her head.

"Like rotten eggs or...sulfur?"

"Um, no," she raised an eyebrow like _he_ was the one insane and not her.

"Ok," Sam nodded, "Um, did you notice any black smoke?"

"What are you? Crazy?"

Now she _really_ thought he was insane.

~8~

"So?" Dean asked as Michelle and Sam climbed back into the Impala.

"I think she's telling the truth," Michelle told him, "I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically, sounds like possession to me...kind of."

"Kind of?" Dean glanced back at her.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur," Sam explained.

"Maybe it's not a demon," Dean shrugged, "I mean, kids can be vicious."

"No, it's definitely a possession of some sort," Michelle cut in, "Maybe…a ghost? Some sort of spirit?"

"Could be," Sam agreed, "Well, while we're here we might as well check out the school."

"Right," Dean said unenthusiastically, "The school."

"What?" Sam looked over at him.

"Truman High, home of the bombers."

"What's your point?" Michelle eyed him as well.

"We went there," Dean told her, "Like...for a month, a million years ago," he turned to look at Sam, "Why are you so jazzed to go back?"

"I'm not," Sam shrugged, "I just think it's worth looking into."

"Alright, well, what's our cover?"

"FBI?" Michelle suggested, "Homeland Security? Sherriff's department?"

"Don't worry," Sam smirked, "I got an idea."

"O…k…" Dean said slowly, raising an eyebrow.

~8~

Sam and Dean stood outside the school, looking up at it with Michelle. It didn't look like much had changed since they were there last. Both brothers thought about their first day there, Dean snagging a girl within the first five minutes and Sam being miserable as the new kid for the third time that year though he did make a new friend, Barry, who was the subject of bullying.

"So you guys went here?" Michelle asked, glancing at them, "It's nice, very movie-esque, just what you'd think a high school should be."

"No different than any other school," Dean scoffed.

"Yeah, but it's a _school_," Michelle smiled at them, "You actually got to_ go_ to a _school_."

"You didn't?" Sam turned to her, frowning.

She shook her head, looking back up at the building, "Homeschooled since forever. The closest I ever got to a school was when they did a play or something pertaining to a creature we'd hunt. Mom and dad would take me to see what I knew about what was true and what was false."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean turned to look at her too, "You've never been to a school…ever?"

"Training and education, that was pretty much it for me," she shrugged, "Let's just say I know more about guns than U.S. history," she nodded to herself in thought, "By the time I was six I could disassemble, reassemble, lock, load, and fire a military-grade riffle."

"Did you have _any _friends growing up?" Dean shook his head at her, not believing what he was hearing. Even in school, being moved around a lot, he still managed to get a number or two, round a few bases.

"Nope. I don't think I knew anyone my own age till I started hunting on my own six years ago."

"Wow…" Sam breathed. Her childhood seemed worse than his. Even though he had to leave the few friends he made, at least he _made_ some.

She just waved them off, "Didn't really bother me. The less friends I had, the less people would get hurt because of me."

The boys nodded, understanding the mentality of a Hunter.

"Well," Dean shook himself out of his thoughts, "Let's get this over with."

~8~

Sam walked through the halls of the school, dressed as a janitor, just as the bell rang, dismissing class. He was pushing his cart along, pausing by a teacher's class, who was letting the students out, before continuing on. He walked over to the Home Economics room where Michelle was just leaving, kids streaming out with bags of fresh baked cookies.

"Got a minute?" he asked her quietly.

"Got all period," she replied, "It's my lunch break."

She turned and locked the door to the room and walked off with him towards the Gym, nearly dying of hysterics when they saw Dean standing before a group of kids, dressed in a tight white shirt, short red shorts, with a red headband on his head, white socks pulled up to his knees, and a whistle dangling from his neck.

It had been Sam's idea to pose as substitutes. Luckily there were three spots open for them to fill, Gym, Home Ec., and Janitor.

"Take a lap!" Dean ordered a kid, blowing his whistle.

"But…" the kid protested.

Dean glanced up to see them enter and threw the bag of balls to the class, "Go nuts!"

"Having fun?" Michelle laughed as he jogged over to them.

"The whistle makes me their god," Dean smirked.

"Right," Sam nodded, "Nice shorts."

"Find anything?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"I've been over the entire school twice. No sulfur."

"No sulfur, no demon. No demon, no case."

"What about ectoplasm?" Michelle asked.

"Ectoplasm?" they eyed her curiously.

She nodded, "It's indicative of spiritual possession. You know, a thick, black substance…almost like blood but thicker. It's usually released mid-possession..."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean cut in, wanting to prevent another lecture, "We know what ectoplasm is."

Sam nodded, "If April offed that girl in the bathroom, there might be some there…"

"Ow!" a voice yelled as a boy ran past them with a bloody nose.

"Good hustle Colby!" Dean shouted after him, "Walk it off!"

~8~

Unfortunately, someone had already cleaned the girl's bathroom, there was no sign of ectoplasm there. Though, Sam _did_ manage to find it in another place, pouring out of a student's ear after he chopped up another bully's hand in a blender. This action resulted in an immediate assembly on nonviolence.

"How's the nonviolence assembly going?" Sam asked Dean as the trio walked down the empty halls while the students sat in the aforementioned assembly.

"Apparently, shoving a kid's arm into a cuisinart is not a 'healthy display of anger,'" Dean replied, "So, there was ectoplasm leaking out his ear?"

"Which only comes from a seriously pissed-off spirit," Michelle told them, "It's _got_ to be ghost possession."

"Yeah, but that's pretty rare."

"It happens," Michelle shrugged, "They get angry enough, they can take control of a person's body."

"Alright, so, what, we got a ghost in the building?"

"Yeah."

"But where?" Sam shook his head, frustrated, "I mean, there's no EMF."

"We might be able to find out who it is," Michelle suggested, "Check and see if somebody died bloody around here or something and burn some remains. That ought to do it."

"Way ahead of you," Dean smirked, pulling out a few papers, "I had to break into the principal's office to get this. Oh, and FYI, three of the cheerleaders are legal. Guess which ones…"

"No," Michelle and Sam deadpanned.

Dean sighed, unfolding the paper, "So, there was only one death on campus. It was a suicide back in '98. Some kid named Barry Cook," Sam looked up at that, something both Dean and Michelle noticed, "What?"

"I knew him," Sam shook his head, "How did he die?"

"He slit his wrists in the first floor girls' bathroom," Dean said, reading the paper.

"That's where…" Sam's eyes widened.

"Right where the chick got swirlyed to death, exactly," Dean finished, "So, what, this ghost is possessing nerds?"

"And using them to go after bullies," Michelle agreed, "That's what it seems like."

"Well, does that sound like Barry's M.O.?" Dean looked over at Sam.

"Barry had a hard time," was all he said as he lost himself in thought.

He recalled how Barry had been bullied by a jerk, Dirk. When he had stuck up for Barry, Dirk had turned his sights on the new kid and tried to beat him up. If it hadn't been for his teacher at the time, Mr. Wyatt, he probably would have been pounded into the floor.

~8~

That night they headed to the graveyard, to Barry's grave, digging up his coffin. Sam poured some fuel into the pit while Michelle threw some salt in as well. Dean then threw a match down, watching the flames erupt, "So long, Barry Cook."

They headed back to the Impala and drove back towards town, Sam being silent most of the time, "You alright?" Dean asked him.

"Barry was my friend," Sam replied grimly, "I just burned his bones."

"He's at peace now Sam," Michelle placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I mean, if dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?" he looked over at Dean, placing a hand over Michelle's, squeezing it in thanks.

"You read the coroner's report same as me," Dean shook his head, "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I _hated_ that school."

"It wasn't _all _bad," Sam replied.

"How can you say that after what happened to you?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to him?" Michelle asked.

"Sammy here almost got his ass kicked," Dean answered when Sam didn't.

Sam looked away, thinking of that day. Dean had cornered him after the near-fight and demanded the story from him. He'd then threatened to kill Dirk for him, but he'd refused. He didn't want to fight with the bully, he just wanted to be normal. The highlight of the day had been speaking to Mr. Wyatt about a paper detailing his family. That was the first time he could remember someone taking an interest in _him_ and what _he_ wanted to do with his life. Someone who had finally told him he didn't_ have_ to be a Hunter, he could be whatever he wanted.

~8~

Dean was not the happiest camper when they ended up remaining in town another day. He was even worse when Sam said he wanted to go back to the school to meet a teacher from his past that was still there.

It ended up being worth it as Sam had been attacked by another student possessed by the spirit, which was how they ended up sitting on the Impala in the woods, Dean pacing back and forth, thoroughly pissed at the ghost for attacking his little brother.

"That ghost is dead," he growled, "I'm gonna rip its lungs out!"

Michelle smiled at seeing Dean's protective side that only came out when Sam was in danger. It was actually very cute to witness…if you looked past the goriness of his numerous threats about how he was going to torture a ghost.

"It knew my name," Sam shook his head, looking between Dean and Michelle, "My _real _name. We burned Barry's bones. What the hell?"

"Maybe it wasn't Barry?" Michelle sighed, "Maybe we missed something?"

Dean nodded, walking over to them and looking at the file in Michelle's hand, "We just gotta go back…" he trailed off as something caught his eye, "No way," he pulled the file to him, "How did we not see this before?"

"What?" Sam and Michelle looked at him.

"Check it out," he said, before skimming the file once more, "Look, Martha Dumptruck, Revenge of the Nerds, and Hello Kitty, they rode the same bus."

"Ok," Sam nodded, following along, "So maybe the bus is haunted."

"It would explain why there's no EMF _in_ the school," Michelle agreed, before frowning, "But not the attacks. I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail."

"Unless this one can," Sam said in thought, "There's lore about spirits possessing people and riding them for miles, then whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghosts can go wherever they want."

"Yeah," Michelle nodded, "I've heard of a few cases like that."

"So a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?" Dean simplified.

"It's possible," Sam shrugged.

"Ghosts getting creative…" Dean sighed, "Well, that's super."

~8~

They were in the school bus, trying to determine if there was a ghost there or not. Sam was in the back with the EMF while Dean was up front and Michelle took the middle.

"Definitely isn't clean," Michelle remarked, stepping back to wipe her hand on a tissue for the fourth time after having accidently stuck her hand on some used gum.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty!" Dean called mockingly, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"I don't get it," Sam shook his head, "No one ever _died_ on this bus, and it's not like there's a body hidden in here."

"Yeah, but a flap of skin, a hair, I mean, hell, a hangnail, something's got to be tying the ghost to this place," Dean commented, "We just got to find it."

"Yeah," Michelle agreed.

"Got a new driving permit," Dean called back to them, holding up a paper, "Issued two weeks ago."

"Just before the first attack," Sam said, walking up to the front of the bus with Michelle.

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "Name of the bus driver is Dirk McGregor Sr., 39 North Central Avenue."

"McGregor?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean looked up at him, "Why?"

"I knew his son," Sam replied.

"Did you know _everybody_ at this school?" Michelle raised an eyebrow teasingly.

~8~

They went to the McGregor house to speak to Mr. McGregor about his son. They were all just sitting around the living room with the man across from them.

"So...you were friends with Dirk?" he asked, looking at Sam, who had introduced them.

"Yes, sir, in high school," Sam replied.

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman," Mr. McGregor said in thought.

"When did, uh…when did Dirk pass?"

"He was 18," Mr. McGregor sighed.

"What happened to him?"

"Well, there was, first, drinking, then drugs, and then too many drugs," he shook his head, "And then he just slipped through my fingers. It was my fault. I should have seen it coming, you know? Dirk, he, uh…he had his troubles."

"What kind of troubles?" Dean asked.

"School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money, and, well, you know kids, they can be cruel. They picked on him."

"_They_ picked on _him_?" Sam's eyebrows rose in shock, the Dirk he knew was the _bully_, _not_ the _bullied_.

"They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him, Dirk the Jerk."

Sam flinched, recalling just how Dirk had gotten that nickname. Dirk had tried to pick on Barry and he'd stepped in. He'd taken Dirk down with only a few punches, called him out for being a bully, and called him Dirk the Jerk. It seemed like it caught on after he'd left.

"And after what happened to his mother, he…"

"His mother?" Sam asked quietly.

Michelle looked over, seeing the guilt in his eyes, she hesitatingly took his hand in her own, knowing that he needed the support, especially dealing with the topic of mothers.

"Yeah, Jane, my wife," he nodded, "She died when Dirk was 13. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it fell to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you…you watch somebody die slow, waste away to nothing...it does things to a person. Horrible things."

"I didn't know about his mother," Sam frowned, feeling even worse. The kid had been bullying because of his anger at losing his mother, and then _he'd_ turned him into the class laughingstock.

"He...he wouldn't talk about her. Not even to me. Lot of anger in that boy."

"I'm sorry," Sam looked down, squeezing Michelle's hand, trying to draw strength from her.

"Well, we'd really like to pay our respects, Mr. McGregor," Michelle spoke up for Sam, "Do you mind telling us where Dirk is buried?"

"Oh, he wasn't," he shook his head, "I had him cremated."

"All of him?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I kept a lock of his hair," Mr. McGregor said after a moment.

"Oh, that's...that's nice..." Dean trailed, before coming right in, "Where do you keep that?"

Michelle rolled her eyes at Dean's lack of tact.

"On my bus, in my Bible," Mr. McGregor replied.

~8~

When they'd gotten back to the school, they saw the bus being loaded with a sports team of some kind. Michelle went quickly to the office to see where the bus was going, a night game a few towns over. They quickly got in the Impala and raced away to head the bus off. They managed to get their hands on some road spikes and laid it out on the road as soon as they saw the bus coming.

It skid to a stop quite a few feet away, which wasn't a surprise as it was traveling at a very fast speed. Once it stopped, the trio was off. They ran over to the bus just as the doors opened and the driver, clearly possessed by Dirk, stepped out.

"Dirk!" Sam shouted, aiming his shotgun at him.

"Winchester," Dirk glared, "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Dean and Michelle snuck up behind him, wrapping a rope around him, quickly tying his arms to his side.

"Don't need to," Sam shook his head, "That rope is soaked in salt water, Dirk. You're not going anywhere."

Dean looked at Michelle, who nodded, raising her gun at Dirk, keeping an eye on him as Dean ran into the bus to look for the hair. A moment later he shouted out to them, "It's not here!"

"Where is it?" Michelle asked the ghost.

"No way you'll ever find it," Dirk smirked at her.

"Where is it?" Sam demanded, pushing his shotgun into Dirk's chest.

"Sam Winchester," he shook his head, "Still a bully. You...you jocks...you popular kids...you always thought you were better than everybody else. Smarter, stronger, popular," he glanced at Michelle, "Getting all the girls. And to you, I was just Dirk the Jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you."

"I'm not evil, Dirk," Sam insisted, "I'm _not_. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen _real_ evil. We were scared and miserable and we took it out on each other…us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that...you or Barry."

"Nothing is gonna get better for me," Dirk resumed glaring at him, "Not ever."

He suddenly broke free of his ropes, Sam firing a rock salt bullet at him. Dirk flew out of the man and into the bus, entering a rather large student, who promptly opened the back door and attacked Sam. He managed to land one punch when Michelle fired at him, blasting him with rock salt. He fell over, landing on Sam, Dirk flying out of the body and into another one.

"Dean!" she shouted, seeing Dean jumping out of the bus, she turned around and butted the student with the hilt of her gun, "Find the hair!"

Dean ran to the driver and started checking all his pockets, muttering, "Hey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like," as he went.

He found the hair in the man's boot, looking up just as Michelle blasted the second student with rock salt while Sam struggled to get out from under the first. He quickly grabbed his lighter and lit it on fire. Dirk screamed and flew out of the student, bursting into flames in the air before disappearing for good.

"You ok?" Dean called over to Michelle, who just nodded.

"Little help?" Sam grunted, still trying to move the bulky student.

Michelle and Dean walked over to him, each grabbing an arm and lifting, but Dean couldn't help but get one remark out first, "He's giving you the full cowgirl."

To which Michelle promptly whacked him on the back of the head.

~8~

Dean was waiting impatiently in the Impala for Sam to get in to the school, talk to whatever teacher he was looking for, and get out. But he wasn't too happy about it.

"God what is taking so long?" he complained for the thirteenth time in two minutes.

Michelle, for all her patience in dealing with the brothers up till now, was at her rope's end, "Want me to go find him and drag him out?" she rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" Dean shouted, clearly not sensing it was a joke.

Michelle sighed, shaking her head, but got out of the car anyway. She had to admit she was a bit interested in this teacher. He must have made a lasting impact if Sam still remembered him.

She wandered aimlessly through the halls till she heard Sam's voice from a nearby classroom. She walked over to the door, peeking in to see Sam talking to a teacher whose back was to the door.

"…this advice?" the teacher asked, "I might need to plagiarize myself down the line."

"You told me that I didn't have to go into the family business," Sam answered.

Michelle frowned at that, the way Sam said it…something about it just irked her.

"You said I should make my own choices."

"So you've managed to do your own thing, then, huh?"

"Yeah, for a while, yeah, I think I went to college because of you," Sam added.

Michelle's eyes widened at that. She knew how much his leaving the family had affected his relationship with his father and brother. She couldn't help but resent the teacher a little for causing such a thing, knowingly or not.

"But, you know, people grow up."

"Yeah," the teacher nodded.

"Responsibilities," Sam agreed, "But still, um...you took an interest in me when no one else did. That matters, so thank you."

"Well, you know, the only thing that really matters is that you're happy," the teacher continued.

Michelle nearly gasped, _that's_ why it bothered her! This conversation was reminding her _way_ too much of the little convo the demon-possessed-priest had tried to stir up with Sam during her first hunt with the boys.

"Are you happy, Sam?"

Sam looked up at that moment and saw her standing there. She could see him smile just a bit, "Yeah…I think I am."

She would have smiled at the fact that she might have had a small hand in his recent happiness had the teacher not turned around to clap him on the shoulder as he left, revealing the face of a demon. She was so shocked, by this turn of events that she was sure her face reflected it.

Sam frowned as he saw her expression and shut the classroom door behind him, "You ok?" he asked, stepping up to her.

She shook her head, "Sam…that…" she frowned as she looked into the classroom to see that the teacher didn't look like a demon anymore, yet there had been no demon smoke to leave the room. She was confused for a moment before she shut her eyes and rubbed her head.

This had only happened to her once or twice before. Sometimes, when a _very _powerful demon possessed someone and then left the host, the host would flicker in her perception when they were around someone who had been near them when they were possessed. While the man wasn't possessed at the moment, the flicker told her he had been possessed at some time in his past. This just confirmed a suspicion she'd had ever since dealing with the demonic Father Gil.

Demons had been trying to manipulate Sam away from his family since the beginning.

"I'm fine," she said, turning to walk out of the school, Sam following half-confused, half-concerned behind her.

A/N: I know in the original show that this teacher wasn't a demon, or at least I don't think so. But here, he is. I have a back story going that will relate to Season 5, that demons have been focused on Sam and pulling him away from his family from the start, and this is just an example of how far back it went and how little Sam realized it was happening.

And oh boy...next chapter...Sam may have finally broken Michelle...jerk...


	15. Sex and Violence

Sex and Violence

"…yeah…" Sam said quietly as he talked on the phone in the motel bathroom.

A truck passing by honked its horn, waking up Dean, making him jerk up in bed. He looked over at the other bed in the room to see that, while it had been slept in, it was empty now. He leaned over and saw Sam in the bathroom on his phone.

"Yeah, no, no, that's what I'm telling you," Sam continued, "No storm. No bad crops. Nothing."

A small rustling noise reached him and Dean looked over to see Michelle was sitting up on the couch, her eyes on the bathroom too.

'How long have you been up?' he mouthed to her.

'A while,' she replied.

He glanced at the door then back at her, 'How long's he been on the phone?'

She frowned and looked down, holding up seven fingers. Dean rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Yeah. Yeah, ok...we'll keep looking. You keep looking, too, ok?" Sam said, "Alright, talk soon."

They both quickly laid back down, Dean pretending to be asleep as Sam came back into the room. Michelle just laid there, not worrying about Sam seeing her as the back of the couch faced the beds. She sighed softly to herself, lost in thought. She hadn't told Dean about Sam's late night drive with Ruby when they'd faced an evil magician a week or so ago. When he'd asked, she could only say that she'd lost him, knowing he would never be able to tell the double meaning in her words. She wasn't sure how Dean would react to the knowledge his brother was secretly meeting, and now probably talking to, that demon.

"Hey!" Sam called, 'waking' them both up, "Up and at 'em."

Dean rolled over as Michelle 'yawned' and sat up, "You're up early," Dean commented, "What are you doing?"

"I was in the can," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah…" Dean prompted.

"Yeah, want me to draw you a picture?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'll pass," Dean shook his head.

"I found a job," Michelle cut in, holding up a newspaper, she'd been skimming over it as the brothers argued, "Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer," she knelt on the couch, handing the article over to Sam and Dean.

"Yikes," Dean grimaced.

"Yeah, get this," Michelle continued as Sam skimmed the article, "Third local inside two months to kill his wife for no reason. No priors on any of 'em, all happily married."

"Sounds like 'Ozzy and Harriet,'" Dean leaned over to read over Sam's arm.

"More like 'The Shining,'" Sam scoffed.

"Alright, then I guess we better have a look," Dean replied, tossing the paper aside and getting up.

~8~

Sam, Dean, and Michelle were sitting before Mr. Benson, the man who killed his wife, in the prison, interviewing him.

"Why does the PD keep sending you guys?" he asked, "I already said I don't want a lawyer."

"They're lining up the firing squad?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pleading guilty."

"Alright, look, you don't want us to represent you, that's fine. In fact, it's probably a good idea, between you and me..."

Sam cleared his throat loudly as Michelle cut in, "We just wanna understand what happened. That's all."

"Mr. Benson?" Sam tried when the man didn't say anything for quite a while.

Michelle reached out and placed a hand on his, "Please," she looked at him.

"What happened was..." he swallowed heavily, struggling to admit what he'd done, "I killed my wife...and you wanna know why? Because she made plans without asking me."

"Now, when it happened, how did you feel?" Sam asked quietly, "Disoriented? Out of control?"

"Like something possessed you to do it?" Dean suggested.

"I knew _exactly _what I was doing," Mr. Benson replied, "I was crystal clear."

"Then why'd you do it?" Dean shook his head, not understanding.

"I don't know," he said, trying to hold it together, Michelle squeezed his hand reassuringly, "I loved her. We were _happy_."

Dean opened his briefcase and pulled out a receipt, sliding it over to Mr. Benson, and pointing at the bottom with the tip of his pen, "Nine Gs. That's a hefty bill."

"Where did you get that?" Mr. Benson's eyes widened.

"Doesn't matter. We have it. See certain charges, ones you don't want the Mrs. to know, the show up under shady names like M&C Entertainment."

"Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, you droppin' plastic at a nudie bar for instance…"

"We just...wanna know the truth, Mr. Benson," Sam cut in.

Mr. Benson dropped his head, looking and sounding very much ashamed, "Her name was...Jasmine."

"She was a stripper?"

Dean smirked, leaning over to Sam, "Dude, her name was _Jasmine_!"

"I didn't mean for it to happen, I…I don't like to go strip bars," Mr. Benson defended, "My buddy was having a bachelor party. And...there she was."

"Jasmine," Sam nodded.

"She came right up to me...and I...I...I dunno, she was just...perfect," he said. Michelle frowned as she watched him get lost in thought, "Everything that I wanted…"

"Well, you pay enough anybody will be anything," Dean remarked.

"It wasn't about the money," he glared at Dean, "It wasn't even about the sex...it...I dunno...I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain."

"And...your wife found out?" Sam guessed.

"No," he shook his head, "She never had a clue."

"Then why'd you kill her?" Michelle asked, watching his reaction carefully.

"For Jasmine," he said quickly, "She said we would be together forever. If…if only...Vicky was..."

"Muerte," Dean supplied.

"Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet and she never showed...I don't know where she lives, I don't know her last name, I don't even know her real first name," he shook his head, continuing under his breath, "I'm an idiot."

"And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" he scoffed, "The _stripper_ didn't do it,_ I_ did it. And I _know_ what I deserve. Judge doesn't give me the death sentence, I'll just do it myself."

~8~

After their discussion with Mr. Benson, the trio split up. Sam was to go talk to the doctor who had done the autopsies for the wives and the testing for the husbands while Dean and Michelle talked to the other two men who had killed their wives.

Dean and Michelle met up after interviewing the two men and headed over to the hospital. They got directions to a Dr. Roberts's office and walked in right in the middle of Sam and a woman smiling flirtatiously at each other. Dean glanced over at Michelle to see her frown and look down at seeing Sam into another woman. Dean wanted _so much_ to glare at his younger brother but that would probably dampen their chances of talking pleasantly with the doctor.

"What'd we miss?" Dean asked as he and Michelle walked over to them, Michelle putting on a pleasant smile for the woman, tense though it was.

"Ah, these are my partners," Sam said to the doctor, "Agent Murdoch," he nodded at Dean, "And Agent Case."

"Please, Agent sounds so formal," Dean smiled at the doctor, offering her his hand, while Michelle just nodded her greeting, "You can call me Dean."

"I'm Dr. Roberts," she introduced herself, quickly shaking Dean's hand before turning to Sam, leaving Dean looking sheepish, "So, um, can I help you with anything else?"

Sam glanced up at Michelle, who was looking around the room, before uncomfortably turning back to the doctor, "Ah...sure, just one more thing," he handed her the files back, "This chemical, this…"

"Oxytocin," the doctor filled in for him, putting the files back in the cabinet.

"Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?"

"Nothing that I've ever seen."

The trio exchanged a look, Dean trying to draw the doctor's attention away from Sam with his grins and looks, seeing how uncomfortable it was making Michelle, but it didn't work.

"Ok, that's it," Sam said getting up, "Thanks Doc."

The doctor smiled at him, Sam smiling nervously back as Dean and Michelle watched the exchange. They quickly left the office, Michelle getting out first, not really wanting to be in the room any longer.

Just as Sam was about to leave, he turned around, "By the way, ah, try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover."

"Watch it, buddy," she chuckled, "I'm the only MD here."

They smiled at each other, Sam turning to leave as she watched him go.

"Dude, you totally c-blocked me," Dean commented as they walked down the hallway.

Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother before getting on topic, "So, ah, Wiley and Snider fess up?"

"One emptied his IRA," Michelle nodded.

"The other his kid's college fund," Dean agreed, "All on the same thing."

"Live nude girls?" Sam guessed.

Dean held open the door as they all walked out of the hospital, "Club called the Honeywagon."

"These guys have affairs, too? With a stripper also know as Jasmine?"

"Yes and no," Michelle said slowly, she and Dean had compared notes on the drive over, "This is where it gets interesting. Each guy hooked up with a _different_ girl."

"So, are these girls all connected somehow?" Sam shook his head, confused.

"Well, they all describe their stripper in the same way, the _exact_ same way," Dean continued, "Perfect and everything that they wanted."

"Huh, yeah, least 'til Dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives."

"There's that."

"Y'know, it's almost like they were under some kind of love spell."

"Sure seems that way," Dean agreed as they reached the Impala.

"Which caused them to become totally psychotic…" Michelle trailed in thought.

"Absolutely," Dean agreed.

Sam turned to his brother, "You seem pretty cheery."

Dean grinned widely, "Strippers, Sammy. _Strippers_. We are on an actual case involving strippers. _Finally_!"

~8~

That night they ended up in the Honeywagon and, despite Michelle's deepest protests, the brothers had managed to drag her along with them. To say she was uncomfortable surrounded by beautiful, scantily-clad women was an understatement. The only comfort she had was that Sam didn't appear to be interested in them, unlike Dean, who couldn't seem to look away whenever one moved, despite the fact he was currently talking to the owner of the bar.

"Any luck?" Michelle asked hopefully as Dean walked over to them. The sooner they got a lead, the sooner they could get out of there.

"No, you?" Dean replied.

"A little," Sam answered, smiling at Michelle, "Michelle had a theory and Bobby seems to think it's right."

"What's that?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Siren," Michelle said simply.

"Like Greek myth Siren?" Dean tilted his head, "'The Odyssey?'" both Sam and Michelle looked surprised that Dean even knew of 'the Odyssey' let alone might have read it, "Hey, I read!"

Michelle raised a delicate eyebrow, "Or is there some porno out there about it?"

Dean looked away, smiling as innocently as Dean could, which wasn't much.

"Yeah, actually, but the Siren's not actually a myth, it's more of a beautiful creatures that preys on men," Sam began.

"Actually, they're more like birds with the heads of women," Michelle corrected.

"Either way. They're mainly known for enticing men with their Siren Song."

"Lemme guess, 'Welcome To The Jungle,'" Dean laughed, "No, no, Warrant's 'Cherry Pie.'"

"Their song is more of a metaphor. Like their call. Their allure, y'know?"

"So they do their thing and the guy's zombie out," Dean nodded, following along.

Michelle nodded too, "Basically, yeah. Sirens lived on islands, sailors would chase them, completely ignoring the rocky shores and dash themselves to pieces."

"Sounds like Adam and his buddies."

"Yeah. If you're a Siren in '09 looking to ruin a bunch of morons where would you set up shop?"

They glanced around at the many drunks around the stage, waving their money and getting even more from the ATMs.

"So whatever floats the guys boat, that's what they look like?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Sirens can read minds," Michelle answered, "They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves, y'know, like an illusion. It's how they lured the sailors, calling to them and promising them what they wanted most."

"So it could all be the same chick? Morphing into different dream girls?"

"Probably," Sam nodded, "Sirens are usually pretty solitary."

"How do we kill it?" Dean now looked irritated. It was just like evil to use someone's desires against them.

Michelle sighed when they both looked at her, "My mom told me once that they can be killed, or at least made vulnerable, if they are infected with their own venom. Only problem is that I'm not sure what the venom is or even how to get it. Bobby's working on looking up an easier way to kill them."

"But even if we figure that out…" Sam began.

"How the hell are we gonna find her," Dean looked around suspiciously, "Could be anybody."

~8~

The next day Sam had gone out to talk to the newest Siren victim while Dean and Michelle stayed back to do research. Michelle was in the bathroom while Dean sat on the couch, staring at Sam's blackberry which he'd left on the table and forgotten.

Eventually he picked it up and went through the list of recent calls, seeing some from him or Michelle or Bobby, but there was one he didn't recognize. He hit call and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Sam," Ruby answered. Dean looked shocked, "Sam? You there?"

Dean quickly hung up and stared down at the blackberry.

"It was Ruby, wasn't it?" Michelle's voice drifted over to him. He looked up to see her standing against the bathroom doorframe, staring at the phone in his hand sadly.

He cleared his throat, "Yeah," he put the phone down just as the motel room door opened and Sam walked in.

"Lenny Bristol was definitely another Siren vic," Sam confirmed.

"Got in to see him?" Dean looked over at Sam, his voice a bit tense from the new information.

"Yeah, said he brought a stripper home named Belle, couple of hours later he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA."

"Wait, he killed his _mom_?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"The woman he was closest to," Michelle shrugged.

The blackberry started to ring as Dean picked it up, tossing the phone over to Sam, "Yeah, you, ah, forgot your cell phone."

Sam sat down, loosening his tie in the process. He answered the phone, putting it on speaker for them, "Hey Bobby."

"Sam, you find her yet?" Bobby asked immediately.

"Ah, no. And it doesn't seem that she's slowin' down any. What about you?"

"Got anything else on how to kill her?" Michelle asked.

Bobby sighed on the other end, "Well, I found some lore from a dusty Greek poem. Shockingly it's a little vague. It says you need a bronze dagger covered in the blood of a sailor under the spell of the song."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean frowned.

"You got me. We're dealing with 3,000 years of the telephone game here."

"Best guess?" Sam supplied.

"Well, the Siren's spell ain't got nothin' to do with any song. It's some kinda toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic's blood."

"That makes them go all 'Manchurian Candidate?' Ah, what do you think, she infects the men during sex?"

"Maybe."

"Supernatural STD," Dean joked.

"Well, however it happens, once it's done, the Siren's gotta watch her back. Your mom was right about that Michelle, she gets a dose of her own medicine, it kills her. Like a snake gettin' iced by its own venom."

"So we just gotta find a way to juice one of the OJ's in jail?"

"It's not that easy," Michelle cut in, "None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Whatever it was must have left their system by now."

"I haven't got any clue where you're gonna get the blood you need," Bobby added, agreeing with her.

"I think I might have an idea," Sam said slowly.

"Be careful," Bobby warned, "These things are tricky bitches. Wrap ya up in knots before you know what hit ya."

~8~

They were back in the hospital that same day.

"Dr. Roberts!" Sam called, seeing the doctor from before standing near the admissions desk as they walked over to her.

"Agents Stiles," she smiled at him, "Can't stay away, huh?"

Dean rolled his eyes as Sam grinned. Dean gave him a look, flicking his eyes jus to the side, where Michelle had tensed.

"Actually, we're here on business about the blood samples," Michelle cut in, "The ones with the high oxytocin, I believe?"

"You still have them?" Dean stepped up next to Michelle as the woman looked over at them and not Sam, she nodded, "Good, we need them," he got right to the point, not wanting to have to be around the woman flaunting herself in front of Sam while Michelle was standing right there any longer than necessary.

"What for?" she asked them.

"'Scuse me, Dr. Roberts?" another voice called in. They turned to see a man in a suit standing behind them.

"Yes?" she eyed him.

"'Scuse me, ah, we're a little busy here buddy," Dean remarked as they showed the man their badges.

"Yeah, so am I pal," the man replied, pulling out his own FBI badge.

Dean looked gob smacked, Sam remained calm, and Michelle eyed the man curiously, borderline suspiciously, this really _wasn't_ the sort of thing the real FBI got involved in.

"Doc, can you give us a sec, please?" Sam asked her.

"Sure…" she replied, walking away.

"Thanks!" he called after her.

"What's your name?" Dean demanded of the man.

"Nick Monroe, what's yours?" he countered.

"I'm Special Agent Sam Stiles," Sam answered, nodding towards Dean, "These are my partners Dean Murdoch," and then Michelle, "And Michelle Case. What office you from?"

"Ah, Omaha, Violent Crimes Unit, my AC sent me down here to see about the murders," he eyed them, "You?"

"D.C., our Assistant Director assigned us," Dean stated.

"Which AD?" he asked skeptically.

"Mike Kaiser," Sam didn't hesitate.

"What are your badge numbers?" he continued in the same tone.

"You're kidding, right?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just following protocol," he shrugged, Michelle frowned at that.

"Look, man, whatever, just call our AD and, ah, he'll sort things out, huh?" Sam rolled his eyes, handing him a business card from his pocket.

Monroe took it and moved away to make the call, though a few minutes later he was back, "I'm sorry guys."

Sam and Dean just shrugged like it was no big deal, however Michelle frowned at the man, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just don't let it happen again," Dean remarked.

"So, where are you at with this?" he asked.

"Where are_ you_ at with this?" Michelle countered.

"Well, I was just about to run the, ah, perps' blood work."

"Ah, already checked, it's a dead end," Sam assured him.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"But get this, I feel like I've found something that, ah, connects all the murderers," he leaned in a bit.

"Really?" Sam narrowed his eyes.

"They were all banging strippers...from the same club."

Sam and Dean looked at each other like it was new to them, "You don't say," Dean commented.

"What do you say, ah, we go down there and check it out?"

"Well, here's the thing, Nick, see we're kinda lone wolves here…"

"You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea," Sam cut in, earning a slight glare from Dean and Michelle, "Just…just give me a sec with my partners and we'll ah...one sec. Come here," he pulled them to the side, turning to Dean, "Dude, you gotta stay with him."

"What?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Keep him outta the way."

"Why _me_?"

"'Cause I gotta get the blood samples. And Michelle was going to find a bronze knife."

"What the hell am I supposed to _do_ with him?"

"Just take him to the strip club. Keep an eye out for the Siren. Come on, Dean, just...just focus on the naked girls, you'll forget he's even there."

Dean hesitated a moment before sighing, "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for the girls," he stormed off down the hall, half-dragging the man with him.

"You going to be ok getting that knife?" Sam asked, turning to Michelle.

"You going to be ok dealing with Dr. Desperate?" she shot back.

Sam's mouth dropped open at her remark, but before he could say anything she just turned and walked off.

She waited till she got outside before she quickly dialed a number on her phone, "Bobby?" she said as he picked up, "Monroe...yeah, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

~8~

Michelle had run all over town trying to find a bronze knife to use on the Siren and had _finally_ managed to find one in an antique store, making sure to test that it really _was_ bronze. When that was settled, she quickly made her way back to the hospital. Sam hadn't called her when he'd left, which worried her as it shouldn't have taken that long to get the samples. Not to mention, he hadn't answered_ any_ of the calls she sent him.

She flashed her ID at the admissions desk and got let in to the hospital after visiting hours were over. She hurriedly made her way to the doctor's office, pausing a moment when a sound filtered over to her through the door.

It sounded like a faint giggling.

She frowned, slowly opening the door, to see Sam holding the doctor against the wall, both shirtless, kissing like there was no tomorrow, still in the process of removing their clothes.

She managed to stifle a gasp and just as quietly shut the door and turn around. She was stunned, her heart beating erratically in her chest.

She had to get out of there.

She walked swiftly through the hospital and out the door, not wanting to call Dean and interrupt his fun at the strip joint. She decided to wander aimlessly around town. If there was one place she didn't want to go back to, it was the motel room. Not right now. Not when Sam would be heading there after his time with the doctor, probably reeking of sex.

She found herself in the park, sitting on a bench, just staring at nothing. She'd been successful in not allowing herself to cry over what she'd seen. But it didn't make it hurt any less. All she could see as she closed her eyes was Sam and the doctor about to do the dirty. She'd vaguely considered the doctor could be the Siren, but she doubted it. Mostly because the man she'd talked to, Wiley, had said he'd only met up with 'Ariel' during the day as he had a night job. She'd checked the records of the hospital, Dr. Roberts was working those hours.

She didn't know if that made her feel better or worse. Sam wasn't under the Siren's spell which was fantastic, he wouldn't be trying to kill her any time soon. But that also meant he had been with the doctor of his _own choice_, which really just killed her anyway.

She partially blamed herself for this though. She and Sam had been on the verge of reconciliation during their last hunt, but when Ruby had stopped by the motel room, she'd distanced herself from Sam. She was suspicious of him, of what they had been talking about, what he didn't want to do that Ruby did. And then, when he'd driven off with the demon, clearly ready to do what she'd asked in the motel room…she realized she _couldn't_ trust him, not now, not when Ruby still had her claws in him. And now _this_…it felt like the small cracks that separated them had merged and grown, now forced apart into a canyon size with this last betrayal.

She just…didn't know what to do anymore.

~8~

Sam walked back down the hallway to the motel room, his shoulders slumped in a walk of shame. He'd been such an _idiot_, a complete and total_ ass_. For all of Dean's taunting in the past that he thought too much with his upstairs brain, the _one time_ the downstairs took over, he'd fucked up._ Royally_ fucked up.

He'd had sex with Dr. Roberts, in her office, after only a few glasses of whiskey. What was _wrong _with him? How could he _do_ that to Michelle? How could he…_betray_…her like that?

It was like it happened so fast, the liquor, the heat of the room, the doctor's closeness, all the sensations. He couldn't control it and he'd lost his mind apparently. The last few days, well, weeks really, ever since they'd dealt with Jay, he'd felt...different...he couldn't explain it, but it was no excuse for what he'd done. When it was over he'd felt like a piece of shit. The first thing he thought of was Michelle. How she would look if she knew about what he'd done. How she'd feel after going through literal Hell for him, only for him to throw it back in her face by him sleeping with yet another woman. Sure, he'd done things with Ruby, but that was when she'd been gone, not that it made it any better. But _now_?

What could he say to her? Would he even be able to look her in the eyes ever again?

No.

He wouldn't.

He didn't deserve her if, after everything she did for him and Dean, _this_ was how he repaid her.

He wasn't sure if he was happy that Michelle wasn't in the motel room when he got back, so that he wouldn't have to face her yet, or if he should be worried that she wasn't.

He didn't have much time to think about that as his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID first, seeing it was Dean and not Michelle he answered.

"Sam!" Dean shouted over the phone, "Where the hell have you been?"

"With Cara," he replied quietly.

"Oh, it's Cara now," Dean spat, "And you're not picking up your phone!" Dean hesitated a moment, before deciding against telling him that Michelle hadn't answered her phone either.

"We were trying to find the blood samples," Sam sighed, "Someone stole 'em."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nick found flower petals at the crime scene. Hyacinths."

"So?" Sam shook his head, even though Dean couldn't see him.

"Hyacinths?" Dean tried, "Mediterranean? From the…from the island where the whole freakin' Siren myth started in the first place?"

"O…k…" Sam trailed, not following.

"Sam, Cara had Hyacinth flowers," Dean spelled it out for him.

"You think _Cara's_ the Siren?" Sam asked quickly, the thought flashing through his mind for a moment before he dismissed it. The closest woman to him was Michelle and he felt bad enough for just _sleeping_ with the woman, he didn't want to_ kill_ her.

"Well, I did a little checkin' up on her. She's only been in town for two months."

"Yeah, and?"

"And she has an ex-husband. A _dead_ ex-husband, Carl Roberts. Dropped like a stone. No warning. Supposedly a heart attack."

"Well, maybe it _was_ a heart attack."

"You're kidding me," Dean said after a moment.

"Look, I just don't think it's her," Sam sighed, not wanting to admit why.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I dunno," he cleared his throat, "A hunch."

"A hunch?" Dean scoffed, "I'm giving you cold, hard _facts _here and you're giving me a_ hunch_?" there was another bout of silence before Dean spoke again, a hard tone in his voice, "Did you sleep with her?"

Sam hesitated, "No."

"Holy crap you _did_! Middle of 'Basic Instinct' and you bang Sharon Stone? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!"

"Dude, I'm not under her spell."

"Unbelievable, man, I just don't get it," Dean sighed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No. Say it."

"It's just…first it's Madison and then Ruby and now Cara, what is with you and banging monsters? Especially when you have a great girl like…" Dean cut himself off, "Michelle…oh damn it Sam, how could you do that to Michelle?"

"I don't know," Sam replied brokenly, "I just…I lost control and…"

"And what?" Dean demanded angrily, "Decided to bang some random doctor instead of your girlfriend? One who, should I remind you, went to _Hell _for you? God Sam! What the hell is _wrong _with you?!"

"Look Dean I feel bad enough about this, can we just…"

"No," Dean cut in, "How the hell are you going to tell Michelle about this?" Sam was silent, "You _are _going to tell her, aren't you?"

"I don't know."

"So you'll tell her about your time banging a demon after she tells you about going to Hell," Dean scoffed, "But you won't tell her about having sex with a…you know what. You call me back when you think of how you're going to explain to a girl who loves you, why you decided to stab her in the back."

In the Impala, Dean snapped the phone shut, completely forgetting about their problems with the Siren for a minute and fuming about his brother. He hoped now more than ever that the doctor _was_ the Siren, it would be a little easier for Michelle to know that.

With that thought in mind, he made a quick call to Bobby and then to Nick.

~8~

Michelle sighed, leaning forward to place her head in between her hands, still sitting in the park. She'd managed to talk herself down from her anger and betrayal at Sam. She'd decided that her anger was unjustified. It _had_ to be, otherwise it would consume her and she didn't want that. There was no way she was going to spend the rest of her time hunting with the boys hating half of them. They'd never survive her PMSing if she did. And she was not about to leave them by themselves. She never intended to leave them in the past either, using it only as a last attempt at getting them to listen to her.

She couldn't be angry at Sam because she and Sam were nothing at this point. They were just Hunters, possibly friends, working together. Her father had taught her how to compartmentalize her emotions, and right now...being just Hunters was all they could be. If they were anything more it would hurt too much. They weren't together, they hadn't been since she disappeared. She had no right to dictate who he could or couldn't be with if he wanted to be with someone, even Ruby. She'd pray to God that he'd have enough sense to not trust a_ demon_, but even if he did, she _couldn't_ say anything.

Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She saw Bobby's number on the caller ID.

~8~

Michelle walked up to the motel room, stopping just outside the door when she heard Dean shouting, "See what I mean? We used to be in this _together_. We used to have each other's backs!"

"Ok, fine, you wanna know why I didn't tell you about Ruby?" Sam countered, "And how we're hunting down Lilith? Because you're too _weak _to go after her, Dean. You're holding me back. I'm a better Hunter than you are. Stronger, smarter, I can take out demons you're too scared to go near."

She frowned as she listened to them arguing, there was no reason for it, but then she heard a third person chuckling, Monroe. She _knew_ it! _He_ was the Siren! And now he had infected both Sam and Dean, they would never be fighting like this, saying such things, out of nowhere without something forcing them to.

"That's crap!" Dean yelled.

"You're too busy sitting around, feeling sorry for yourself, brooding about how someone else had to suffer in Hell for you, how you would have broken well boo-hoo," Sam replied.

She jumped away from the door as she heard them start fighting. She heard someone land by the foot of the door.

"You're not standin' in my way, anymore!" Sam yelled and then she heard him lift Dean up and shove him against the wall.

That was enough!

She kicked the door open with enough force that it swung in and crashed into the two of them, knocking them both to the floor, having not expected the sudden move. She quickly kicked them both in a specific spot, making sure they _stayed down_ for a while as she turned to face Monroe.

"Well, this in an interesting development," Monroe commented, stepping up to her as she stepped back, shutting the door behind her as she did.

"I'm going to kill you," Michelle glared at the man.

"Is that so?" Monroe smirked.

"Yeah, as you can see," she motioned to the floor, "They're in no position to defend you now."

"You think I can't take you?" Monroe raised an eyebrow, "You think I can't make you love me too?"

Michelle's eyes narrowed, "Bring it on bitch."

Monroe was in front of her in a second, pressing her against the wall by the mouth, holding it open with one hand. Without waiting, he squirted his venom into her mouth, stepping back and waiting for it to take effect.

Michelle stumbled forward a bit, looking up at Monroe with wide eyes. He smirked. But his joy only lasted a moment as a slicing sound filled the room and Michelle pulled out a bronze dagger from behind her, having sliced her hand with it in the process, before stabbing him in the chest.

"No!" Sam and Dean shouted, watching the man fall to the ground.

The door was kicked open once more, this time by Bobby, who had his own bronze dagger, but stopped and surveyed the scene. The Siren lying down on the floor, a dagger in his chest, Michelle standing there with a bloody hand, and Sam and Dean balled up on the floor, both looking bewildered.

Bobby sighed, stepping up and taking the girl's hand in his, "Let's get that hand of yours fixed up baby girl," he ignored the two brothers, feeling they could suffer just a bit for their idiocy at letting themselves get infected while he worked on the girl who was like a daughter to him.

~8~

The next day the trio and Bobby were stopped by a river next to a bridge, just talking about everything that had happened last night. Bobby walked over to them, handing the boys sodas after having walked over to Michelle, who was standing more near the river, giving her an iced tea.

"Thanks," Sam took his drink.

"Soda?" Dean eyed him.

"You boys are drivin', ain't ya?" he countered, "You know, you coulda picked up a phone," he commented after a moment, "Only took one call to figure out that Agent Nick Monroe wasn't real. Took Michelle less than a few seconds with the man to realize that," he gave them a hard look, "Just 'cause she's been in Hell don't mean her senses are any duller, if anything, they're sharper when it comes to the monsters you hunt. You should give her more credit."

They looked down sheepishly, with Bobby watching them intently for a moment, noticing Sam seemed more guilty than sheepish.

"You should," Michelle agreed, walking over to them, "I could tell he was playing you the minute he started entreating you with breaking the case together."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dean asked her.

"I was…" she glanced at Sam, "A bit preoccupied," she looked down, "Had something things to deal with."

"Michelle," Sam called, gaining her attention, "Did you…um…come to the hospital at all?"

She sighed, "Yeah, when you didn't answer my calls, I got worried, went to check on you...but you were...busy..."

"Michelle, I'm so…"

"_Don't_ say it," Michelle cut in quickly, "I don't have a say in what you do or who you spend time with. We're…we're just partner Hunters and it's _none _of my business."

Dean and Bobby watched the girl carefully. They could tell she was _only_ saying that as a way to convince herself it was true. Bobby, for the love of him, had no idea what they were talking about, but kept quiet. It was between Sam and Michelle apparently.

"I just…" Sam continued.

"_Please _Sam," Michelle interrupted again, "Can we please _not_ talk about it?"

He frowned but nodded his head.

Dean cleared his throat after a moment of awkward silence, "So uh…how'd you manage to stab the bastard?" he'd been thinking about that for a while.

"Yeah, uh, we…" Sam glanced at Dean a moment, "We both fell for it…you got blasted too but uh…"

"My parents taught me some techniques to protect my thoughts from mind-reading creatures," she shrugged, "That and the Siren became whatever we wanted. So, I just _wanted_ to see it for what it was…ugly, I'll tell you that, kept me from falling head over heels for it."

Bobby smiled proudly at that, patting her shoulder, "Told ya she's a smart one."

"Thanks Bobby," she smiled back at him.

He glanced over at the brothers, still banged up from the previous night, "You boys gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, fine," Sam replied quickly.

"Yeah, good," Dean added, just as fast.

"How 'bout you baby girl?" he looked over at Michelle.

"I'll be fine," she nodded, taking their bottles and going to throw them out.

"See ya," Bobby said to them, getting in his car, glancing at them once more, "Y'know those Sirens are nasty things. They'd have got to you...that's no reason to feel bad," he drove off, leaving the boys alone.

"You gonna say goodbye to Cara?" Dean half-glared at Sam, glancing over at Michelle, who was throwing the last of the bottles away.

"No," he said, watching Michelle, guilt still evident on his face.

"Really?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Dean," Sam turned to him, allowing him to see just _how much_ it was eating him up inside what he'd done to Michelle. Dean decided to let it drop and looked over at Michelle, who was just staring at the river in thought, "Dean, look, you know I didn't mean the things I said back there, right? That it was just the Siren's spell talking?"

"Of course, me too."

"Ok. So...so we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good. But it's not _me_ you really need to be good with," he walked off to join Michelle, leaving Sam to get in the Impala and wait.

Michelle was absently staring at her bandaged hand when he walked up, "You ok?" Dean asked, "You're hand I mean."

She nodded, "It'll heal. It's not my first time at the rodeo you know."

He laughed, "Well, I uh…I wanted to uh…thank you too, for coming in when you did. If you hadn't…Sam and I…we might have actually…"

"No, you wouldn't," she cut in, "Blood is thicker than Siren venom, there's _nothing_ stronger than family. You would _never_, no matter what spell you were under."

"You think?" he asked, she nodded, "But still, perfect timing."

She let out a heavy breath, "Yeah…I'm glad I came then and…and not before though."

"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I…I don't think I want to know what you both would have said to me," she replied, though Dean could tell she really meant what Sam would have said.

Dean sighed, "There's something going on with him," he mumbled, "I just don't know what."

"Well," Michelle took a breath, "We're just going to have to keep an eye on him, make sure he's not getting into anything serious."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I guess that's all we can do."

"Yeah," she agreed, though both of them knew, whatever Sam was getting into, it was _bad_, and they weren't sure they'd be able to keep him out of it or even pull him out.

A/N: Wow...Sam just keeps digging that hole doesn't he? Just have to say...it'll get much, _much_ worse. Michelle is very observant, and the differences in Sam will become more and more pronounced to her. What will she discover about her one-time-beau? All I'll say is...well, Sam's been doing something very bad and it's started to influence his behavior as can be seen here. If he'd been himself, he NEVER would have done that with Cara. But, we'll find out more about that in a later chapter :)

Just a quick note to any DW fans here, I've posted a new chapter for 'The Adventures of Spaceman and Timegirl' for you, even if you haven't read that (prefering Recollections and that series) there's an important note at the end of it that relates to both the Professor and Evy which I think you'll like, so check it out :)


	16. Death Takes a Holiday

Death Takes a Holiday

Dean was standing near a jukebox in a local diner, trying to get it to play music rather than eat up his coins. Sam was sitting in front of his laptop with Michelle next to him on her phone, quickly conveying some information to him so he could look things up.

"No, no, no, you're right, it's definitely weird," Michelle said into the phone, glancing at the boys, "Ok Bobby, thanks."

"What's up?" Dean asked, punching the jukebox and moving to sit across from them and eat his breakfast.

"Uh, Bobby found something in Wyoming," Sam replied, a bit distracted, reading some reports on the computer.

"A job?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Definitely," Michelle nodded, "Small town, no one's died in a week and a half."

"That's so unusual?" Dean took a bite of his food.

"Well, it's _how_ they're not dying," Sam added, "One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice, another guy gets capped by a mugger walks away without a scratch."

"Capped in the ass?" Dean laughed.

"Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart, at point blank range, by a nine millimeter," Sam read from the report.

"And he's not a donut?" Dean's eyes widened, that was _definitely_ up their alley.

"Locals are saying it's a miracle," Michelle commented.

"Ok," Dean said in thought.

"It's gotta be something nasty, right?" Sam looked at them, closing his laptop, "Maybe people making deals or something."

"You think?" Dean cocked his head to the side, taking another bite.

"What else would it be?"

"I don't know," he replied with a mouthful of food.

"Alright," Sam moved to put his laptop in his bag, "Get that to go. Come on," he got up, Michelle standing too, but Dean didn't move, "What?"

"Sure you want me going with you?" Dean looked up at them, focusing more on Sam than Michelle.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sam shook his head.

"I don't know. I wouldn't want to be holding you back."

"Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was _the Siren_ talking, not _me_," Sam sighed, "Could we get past this?"

Dean paused a moment in thought before throwing his food down, "Yeah, we're past this."

~8~

They headed straight to Wyoming and managed to find out where the man who'd been shot lived to interview him.

They were sitting in the man's kitchen with him across from them, "Now you guys said you were bloggers?"

"Yes sir," Sam smiled, "Blog4theLord dot com."

"All God's glory fit to blog," Dean smirked as well.

"Some of the people around town are saying what happened to you was a miracle," Michelle led in.

"It was," Mr. Jenkins confirmed, "Plain as day."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam tilted his head.

"How else can you explain it? The doctors can't. There's a bullet in my heart and it's pumping like a piston."

"Well how do _you_ explain it?" Dean asked.

Mr. Jenkins leaned back in his chair, looking back at his daughter, doing her homework in the next room before turning back to the trio, "Look, honestly, I was no one's saint, not exactly 'Father of the Year' either."

"Ok," Dean shook his head, not really following.

"But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop," he sighed, "I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance."

"That so?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I had this feeling like angels were watching over me," Mr. Jenkins said in thought, before shaking his head, "I wouldn't expect you guys to understand."

"You'd be surprised," Michelle commented under her breath, though they all heard her.

"You didn't happen to walked by a crossroads in the past week or so?" Sam cut in, continuing with the questioning.

Michelle glanced at him before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Because _that_ question wasn't out of the ordinary at all…

"No?" Mr. Jenkins said, though it sounded more like a question when he eyed Sam oddly.

"Maybe you met someone?" Sam tried again, "With black eyes...or red..."

Michelle couldn't help but face-palm at that.

"Who'd you guys say you were again?" the man frowned at them.

"Never mind," Dean shook his head, moving to get up with the trio, "Thank you for your time."

~8~

In the motel room that night, Dean was on the laptop while Michelle went over some newspapers of the last few days.

"Hey," Sam said, walking in.

"Anything?" Dean looked up.

"Cancer survivor. He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug and now he's taking her out for their 20th anniversary."

"Sound like a deal?" Michelle asked.

"No," he looked at them, "What about you? Find anyone dying around here?"

"One person," Michelle called, walking over to Dean as he brought up a picture of a kid, "Cole Griffin."

"Dropped ten days ago," Dean added, "That's the last death we could find."

"So what are you thinking?" Sam looked between the two.

"I don't know," Dean sighed, "Maybe it is what people say it is."

"Miracles?" Sam scoffed, sitting down at the desk, "Dean in our experience, when do miracles just happen?"

"Well there're no deals," Dean argued, "No skeevy faith healers. These souls just ain't getting dragged into the light."

"Maybe 'cause there's no one around to carry them," Michelle said in thought.

"What do you mean?" Sam looked over at her.

"Well, that's what grim reapers do right?" she shook her head at them, "Collect souls."

"So if death ain't in town…" Sam began, nodding as he caught on.

"There's no dying," Dean finished, "So what? The local reapers on strike? Weighing the back nine? I don't know."

"Well, let's talk to somebody who might," Sam stood up.

"Well last I checked, huggy bear ain't available."

"No dude, the kid," Sam smiled.

"The kid?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "The kids a doornail."

"Exactly," Sam nodded, "Look, if he's the last person to die around here then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him."

Dean laughed, shaking his head at that, "I love how matter-of-fact you are about that."

Michelle chuckled too, "Well, we _do_ live strange lives."

~8~

That night in the cemetery, the trio stood around the grave of Cole Griffin, preparing for a séance.

"You sure this is gonna work?" Dean asked, watching his brother and Michelle light some candles and pour some materials in a bowl.

"No," Sam shook his head, "But if the spirit's around, this ought to smoke him out."

Dean snapped the book he was reading shut, causing them to look up at him, "What?" Michelle stood up, concerned.

"This job's jacked that's what," Dean answered.

"How so?" Sam eyed him.

"You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, psht," he waved it off, "Let's light it up, right? But this…we face whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."

"Look, I don't want them to die either Dean," Michelle cut in, "But there's a natural order. Everything has a season."

"You're kidding me right?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she shook her head, not following.

"You don't see the irony in that? I mean, the three of us, we're like the poster kids of the _un_natural order. All we do is ditch death."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us do they?" Sam argued.

Dean laughed, "We're no different than anyone else."

Sam gave him an odd look, "I'm infected with demon blood, you and Michelle have been to Hell, and you've apparently been to Heaven too. I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. Neither is Michelle. The sooner you accept that the better you're gonna be."

"Joe the Plumber was a douche," Dean commented after a moment.

"You gonna help us finish this?" Michelle asked, just shaking her head at him.

"Hey!" a man called, the cemetery guard, walking up to them with a flashlight, "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…look…uh just take it easy…" Sam began.

"Guys," Michelle cut in, drawing their attention as she glared at the man, doing as she'd promised, not freezing up, "It's Alastair," she said, their eyes widened as they looked back at the man smirking evilly at them, his eyes turning white.

"I thought you got deep fried, extra crispy," Dean said, standing up and moving to stand before Michelle just a bit. He knew for all her bravery, she was still a bit thrown off by the demon.

"Nah…just the pediatrician I was riding," he shrugged, "His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway, no time to chat. Got a hot date with death," he threw out his arm, flinging Dean back and headfirst into a tombstone, doing the same for Michelle though it was more her back that hit the stone causing her to squirm on the ground in pain.

He turned to Sam, just waving his hand as he tried to fling him as well. When it didn't work, he tried once more, but it still didn't work. He seemed almost impressed, "You're stronger Sam. You been solo flexing with your little slut?"

"You have no idea," Sam glared, flinging his arm back, pinning Alastair to a tree. Just as he reached out to exorcize the demon, it flew out of the human's body in a cloud of black smoke and fled. Sam sighed, turning around to see Dean still knocked out but Michelle lying on her stomach, staring up at him, her eyes wide.

She'd seen everything.

~8~

Between Sam and Michelle, they had managed to get Dean back to the motel and wake him up. Seeing that Michelle and Dean were injured, Sam went out to try and contact the ghost while they rested. Dean and Michelle were both laying on the beds, Dean with an icepack on his head, Michelle lying on her back with one under her. She'd gotten up only once since Sam left to get a book from her bag after Bobby had called.

Sam walked in, eyeing them carefully, "How you doing?"

"I'll live," Michelle shrugged.

"I'm in pain that's how I'm doing," Dean groaned, "I think I have a concussion."

"Want some aspirin?" Sam almost laughed.

"No thanks House," Dean said gruffly as he sat up, "So demons huh?"

"Yeah, so much for miracles."

"So what happened with Alastair again?" Dean raised an eyebrow, staring at his brother.

Sam glanced over at Michelle, who looked away, he'd _begged_ her not to tell Dean until she promised she wouldn't, it seemed like she'd kept her promise…though, knowing her, it shouldn't surprise him, "I told you. He tried to fling me or whatever and it didn't work so he bailed."

"How come he couldn't fling you? He chucked you pretty good last time."

"I got no idea."

Dean sighed, "Sam do me a favor, if you're gonna keep your little secrets I can't stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot ok?"

"What?" Sam turned to face him, though unable to look him in the eye as he continued, "Dean I'm not keeping secrets."

"Mhmm, whatever," Dean threw the icepack down, "So did you go back and Q&A the dead kid?"

"No," Sam sighed, "I said the incantation to call a spirit from the other side, but nothing happened."

"Well, while you were doing that, I got a call from Bobby," Michelle said, sitting up, wincing a bit.

"And?" Dean turned to her.

"He thinks I'm right," she smirked in triumph, before getting serious, "Local reaper's gone. Not just gone, kidnapped."

"By demons, why?" Sam frowned.

"Listen to this," she picked up the book she was reading, "'And he bloodied death under the newborn sky sweet to taste but bitter when once devoured.'"

"Swany," Dean remarked, "So what's that mean?"

"Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations."

"Which means what I think it means?" Dean said grimily.

"Basically you kill a reaper under the solstice moon…" she began.

"Tomorrow night by the way," Sam added.

"And you've got yourself a broken seal," she finished.

"How do you ice a reaper?" Dean looked at them, "You can't kill death."

"I don't know," Michelle shook her head.

"Maybe demons can?" Sam suggested, "Where the hell are the angels is what I want to know? We could use their help for once."

"Looks like we're going to have to take care of this one ourselves," Dean sighed.

"What are we gonna do?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?"

"You got another idea, I'm all ears."

"Reapers are invisible," Michelle said, seeing if she could offer anything that might help, "The only people who can see them are the dead and the dying."

"Well if ghosts are the only ones who can see them…" Dean trailed.

"Yeah?" Sam shook his head.

"Then we become ghosts," Michelle finished, catching on.

"You _do_ have a concussion," Sam replied in disbelief at his brother and then Michelle for encouraging him.

"Sounds crazy, I know," Dean agreed.

"It _is_ crazy," Sam corrected.

"How do we do it?" Michelle cut in, causing Sam to drop his head and Dean to grin.

~8~

Sam and Michelle were waiting in the motel room when Dean walked in, leading Pamela.

"I can't even begin to describe how crazy you two are," Pamela said, turning from Dean to Michelle, "And how crazy you are to agree with them," she looked at Sam.

"Wow, Pamela you're a sight for sore eyes," Sam smiled, before realizing what he'd just said.

Pamela just laughed, "Aw, that's sweet grumpy. What do you say to deaf people?" she turned around to face Michelle and Dean, "Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?"

"Yo," Dean waved a little.

"Of course. Chachee," Pamela said, and they were sure she would have rolled her eyes if she could, "So let's be clear, you want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?"

"Mhmm," Dean agreed.

"Do you have any idea how heavy-duty _insane_ that is?"

"Maybe, but that's where the reaper is so…"

"So it's nuts!"

"Not if you know what you're doing."

"You _don't_ know what you're doing."

"No, but _you _do," Michelle said quietly.

"Yeah, I _do_," she stated, throwing her hands up and facing the boys, "And guess what. I'm _sick _of being hauled back into your angel-demon social greaser crap."

"Look, I'd like to be kicking it back with a cold one and watching 'Judge Judy' too…" Dean began.

"Nice," Pamela scoffed, "More blind jokes."

"You know what I mean. We're talking the end of the world here, ok? We're talking no more tasseled leather pants. No more 'Ramone' CDs. No more _nothing_."

Michelle sighed, "We need your help."

Pamela seemed to be staring at Michelle for a few minutes before sighing, "Fine, close the drapes and get ready."

The boys quickly made their way to the windows and pulled them closed, "Thank you," Michelle said.

"Don't thank me yet," she replied, taking a seat, "Tell me something geniuses, even if you _do _break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?"

"With style and class," Dean replied.

"You're going to be three walking pieces of fog. You can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless hotshot."

"I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us," Sam laughed.

"They had plenty of time to practice," Michelle added.

"Well, then I guess we gotta start cramming," Dean smirked at her.

"Oh, wow, a trio of heroes," Pamela remarked dryly, before patting the beds before her, "Alright. Lie down. Close your eyes."

Dean walked over to his bed and laid down, leaving Sam and Michelle to look at each other. After a few awkward glances the duo laid down, side-by-side, on the same bed, though with so much room between them they were almost hanging off the sides.

She waited a few minutes till they were calm and rested, before changint, "Adimum vos decipi ergo decipiator. Vis, vis, vis. Ok guys, that's it, show time."

Dean sat up, looking around the room for a moment before smirking, "Well, nothing like shooting blanks. What's plan B?"

When Pamela didn't answer, he got a curious look on his face.

"Dean," Michelle said from behind him.

He looked over to see her and Sam standing by the window. He glanced back to see their bodies on the bed, and then over his shoulder to see himself lying there as well, "Oh I'm so feeling up Demi Moore."

"Alright, so," Pamela spoke, drawing their attention, "I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow…remember I have to bring you back. I'll whisper the incantation in your ear," she walked over to Sam and leaned over to whisper, "You have got a great ass," to him.

Sam started laughing, causing Dean and Michelle to eye him.

"What?" Michelle asked.

"What'd she say?" Dean looked at his brother, but Sam didn't answer.

~8~

They were walking the streets, looking for some sort of lead, when a jogger ran straight through Sam.

"Ho ho ho, that's wild," Dean laughed, before pushing his hand through his brother's chest. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked, seeing Sam's unimpressed expression, Michelle couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Get out of me," Sam deadpanned.

"You're such a prude," Dean remarked, pulling his arm out.

"Come on," Michelle said, rolling her eyes at the brothers and walking down the street…

A few hours later, they still had nothing, "Look we've been spooking this town for hours," Dean stated.

"I know," Sam remarked.

"No demons, no black smoke," he grinned, "I say we hit 'Vicotria's Secret' and get our peep on. Ha!" he laughed and pointed triumphantly at Michelle as she tried to smack him in the back of the head for that remark, only for her hand to go through him.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sam cut in, staring at a house, "3 o'clock, kid in the window."

"Is he looking at us?" Michelle frowned.

"That's 'cause we've seen him before," Dean answered.

"We have?" Sam looked over.

"Newspaper," Dean replied.

"Cole Griffin," Michelle's eyes widened as she recalled who the boy was, "Last person to die in this town."

The boy in the window suddenly flickered out of view. The trio looked at each other before quickly making their way into the house. They could hear a commotion upstairs and ran up to a room just as a woman fled from it. The boy was there, throwing objects at them.

"Stop!" Dean shouted, getting the boy to calm down enough to stop throwing random objects at them. He looked down at the toys on the floor and up at the boy, "How are you doing that?"

"Who are you?" Cole demanded.

"Relax, Cole it's ok," Michelle said calmly, holding up her hands in mock surrender.

"How do you know my name?" he eyed them suspiciously.

"Look, this isn't going to be easy to hear but you're dead," Sam told him, "You're a spirit. Us too."

"Yeah, thanks Haley Joel," Cole replied sarcastically, "I _know_ I'm dead. What do you want?"

"We just want to talk," Michelle assured him.

"About what?"

"How you died," Sam answered.

Cole sighed and flickered out. The trio looked at each other in question before walking around, trying to find the boy again. They found him in the kitchen, watching his mother. He glanced back at them and they took a seat at the dining room table, waiting for him to speak.

"I was outside all morning," Cole began, "They tell you to be careful when it's cold."

"Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" Dean asked, recalling something about asthma in the paper.

Cole nodded, "Then I was in my room. It happened so fast. I called out for my mom but nothing came out. Everything started spinning and then...I was just standing there. Looking down at my body."

"And that's when you saw the man?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Creepy old guy in a black suit. Wanted me to go with him but I didn't want to go."

"Reaper," Michelle nodded, "How'd you get rid of him?"

"I didn't," Cole shook his head, "The black smoke did."

"Black smoke?" Dean perked up.

"It was everywhere," Cole frowned, "I hid in the closet and when I came out it was gone and so was he."

"Do you know where the black smoke went?" Dean asked him seriously.

"No, but I know where it is…" he began, when the lights began to flicker. Cole looked up, alarmed, "They're back!"

"Who?" Dean asked, but Cole just disappeared. They got up and ran to the front of the house where the door blew open and a figure ran up the stairs.

"Another reaper," Michelle said.

"Hey!" Dean called after it, "Hey! Wait we need to talk to you."

They stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching as a beautiful woman with black hair started to walk down the steps, staring intently at Dean.

"Dean," she greeted.

"Do I know you?" he asked her.

"We go way back," she told him, before realizing something, "You don't remember me."

"Honestly if I had a nickel for every girl who said that…" he trailed, looking at her, "You're going to have to freshen my memory," she smiled before reaching up and kissing him, "Tessa," he breathed, his eyes wide as he pulled away.

"That's one of my names, yeah," she nodded.

"So you _do_ know her?" Michelle looked between the two.

"From the hospital after the accident," Dean replied in thought.

"The accident with dad?" Sam frowned, recalling the incident that had taken their father's life when he exchanged his soul for Dean's life, "So_ this_ is the reaper that came after you?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

"Well this was fun," Tessa said, turning to leave, "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean called, "You can't. You can't take the kid."

"Why?" she raised an eyebrow.

"'Cause demons are in town, that's why," Michelle answered.

"They've already snatched your reaper pal," Dean added, "The kid knows where."

"So?" she shook her head.

"So you should shag ass," Sam told her, "For all we know they could try to snatch you too."

"Except that this town is off the rails. And someone has to set it straight."

"Yeah, and we understand that but these are special circumstances," Michelle argued.

"What your whole angel-demon dance off?" she scoffed, "I couldn't care less. I just want to do my job."

"Right, yeah, and we just want to_ help_ you do your job, so if you would just bail town…" Sam trailed.

"No."

"Well then could you hold off until we _fix_ this?" Dean asked her, "Please?"

"Alright, but just so we're clear," she said after a moment of considering it, "When I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

"Understood," Sam nodded, "I'll find him."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Dean turned to his brother, "What…what are you going to say to him?"

"Whatever I have to," Sam sighed, going up the stairs.

"I'll go keep an eye out for the smoke," Michelle commented, walking towards the door, "Now that another reaper's in town, it's bound to come back."

~8~

Dean was startled when Sam came back into the room. He'd been thinking about what he and Tessa had talked about, his near death, his pain, his small time in the pit. He still felt stunned that Michelle gave up everything for him and Sam, having someone believe in him and care about him and his family _that_ _much_…it made him feel safe, special.

"Hey guys," Sam said, coming back in with Cole.

"Hey Cole, I'm Tessa," Tessa greeted the boy, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's ok Cole," Sam assured him, "Just tell them what you told me."

"I saw the black smoke at my funeral," Cole said.

"At the cemetery?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"At the funeral home," Cole corrected, "It was everywhere."

The lights began to flicker as Dean turned to Tessa, "You doing that?"

"No," she answered.

Just then Michelle ran into the house, slamming the door behind her and running into the room, "It's back!" she shouted moments before the black smoke blasted through the door and filled the room.

When it cleared, Tessa was gone.

"Tessa!" Dean shouted.

"Cole, you ok?" Sam turned to him as the boy nodded.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight _that_?" Dean spun to face his partners.

"I don't know," Michelle swallowed.

"Learn some ghost moves?" Sam suggested.

"By tonight?" Dean scoffed, "Yeah, I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's."

"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Cole frowned, not understanding.

They trio just exchanged looks at that. How could anyone _not_ know the 'Karate Kid?'

~8~

They were standing outside, Sam and Michelle leaning against the house, while Dean stood before a wind-fan, staring at it intently.

"It's not going to move if you don't concentrate," Cole smirked, watching the man struggle.

"I _am_ concentrating," Dean muttered, watching it for a few more moments before it creaked and moved, just a bit, "Ah ha, there we go baby!" he grinned and stared at the fan but it didn't move again.

"You pull a muscle?" Michelle smirked.

Dean huffed and glared at her, "Alright Yoda, let's see what _you_ got."

"Alright," she stepped up to stand before the fan. She glanced over her shoulder at Dean before turning to the fan. It began to move, spinning faster than it should have, a small mechanism pulling a cowboy along its track, looking like it was galloping. But that wasn't enough, the porch bench began to swing on its own, wind chimes began to move, and car alarms and lights up and down the street began to flicker and go off. The temperature around them began to drop dramatically as well.

"You are so Amityville!" Dean actually looked impressed at the skills the girl displayed.

"Meditation is great for focus and concentration," she shrugged, stepping back.

"This isn't even the good stuff," Cole told them, nodding his approval at Michelle. He led them inside and turned suddenly to punch Sam, "See if you wanna hit something you just gotta get mad."

"Yeah," Sam groaned, doubling over as Dean and Michelle laughed.

"Now you try," Cole turned to Dean, "Hit me."

"Uh, I think I'll just stick to picking on someone my own size," Dean replied.

Cole just punched him as well, earning a laugh from Sam. Cole turned to face the younger brother once more, "Hit me as hard as you can."

"Dude I'm not gonna do 'Fight Club' with a twelve-year-old," Sam laughed but Cole just backhanded him, "Alright, cut it out!"

"Make me!" Cole retorted.

Sam went to punch him, but the boy just disappeared, flickering into view on the other side of the room.

"Whoa, whoa, you _gotta _teach us that," Dean smirked.

~8~

As soon as they had a run-through of Haunting 101, they made their way to the funeral home, stopping outside to look up at the glowing sigils etched all over it.

"Looks like new jack city," Dean commented, "Can nobody see this?"

"Maybe it's like demon invisible ink," Sam shrugged as Michelle frowned up at it, "Like in the veil."

"Any idea what it is?" Dean glanced over at them.

"It's angel proofing," Michelle replied, "They symbols are all meant to banish angels and ward a building from them."

"Great," Dean remarked, looked like they were _really_ going it on their own this time, "Come on."

They entered the building, looking around the main hall and a few rooms but seeing nothing. They walked down another hall, coming to a stop when they saw the two reapers lying on the ground on what looked like some sort of trap painted on the floor. There was a man standing with his back to them.

"Dude check me out," Dean smirked, walking towards the man, flickering out of sight and reappearing behind the man. He tapped him on the shoulder, punching him when he turned around and disappeared before he could react. Sam and Michelle appeared suddenly, punching the man as well as Dean appeared and the trio beat him, forcing him to run behind a coffin in a small alcove as they gave chase, "You know this ghost thing, it's kinda rad."

Suddenly another man appeared, dragging a heavy chain across the back of the alcove, raising three other chains around it as the man hopped over the coffin and got out just as the second man locked the chain in place, trapping them.

"Iron!" Sam shouted as the second man's hands blistered and steamed, the men were demons.

A third man walked into the room, "Children, find the place ok?" his eyes went white.

"Alastair," Michelle spat.

Another man handed Alastair a gun, which he shot at Michelle, causing her to disappear, "Rock salt's not so much fun anymore, is it?"

"You bastard," Dean ground out as Michelle reappeared, grabbing her stomach in remnants of pain.

"Well, go on," Alastair looked over at Sam, "Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now? It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat huh?"

"Go to Hell," Sam shot back.

"Oh yeah, I_ could_ but they just keep sending me back up to this arctic crap hole," Alastair remarked, walking away from them.

"To kill death?" Dean asked.

"To kill death_ twice_," Michelle answered for the man.

"Very good," Alastair turned to face them, "It takes _two_ to break the seal. I figured another one would show up, they're like lemmings," he shot Sam, "By the way, it's uh, good to see you again Michelle."

"You can shoot us all you want but you can't kill us," Dean cut in, keeping Alastair's focus on him, as Sam flickered back.

"Oh, is that so?" Alastair replied, shooting Dean. He waited till the man reappeared to continue speaking, "And so, the moon's in the right spot, the board is set. Let's get started shall we?"

"You're gonna kill a reaper with that?" Dean eyed the scythe in the man's hand, "It's a little on the nose, don't you think?"

"Is it?" Alastair looked at his weapon, "An old friend lent it to me. You know he really doesn't ride a pale horse. But he does have three amigos."

"Death," Michelle said, "One of the Four Horsemen."

"Of the Apocalypse?" Sam's eyes widened as he looked over at Michelle.

"A man just jonesing for the Apocalypse," Alastair confirmed, "It pays to have friends in low places," he moved over to the male reaper, "Don't ya think?" he lifted the man up, placing the scythe over his neck, chanting in Latin before slicing the man's throat.

Sam looked up at the chandelier, noticing it hanging right over the edge of the trap.

Alastair picked up Tessa, jostling her awake, "No!" she shouted, "Stop!"

Sam nudged Dean and Michelle and nodded towards the chandelier. They all looked up and concentrated, causing it to fall just before Alastair killed Tessa. It scraped the edge of the trap, freeing her. She flickered out, pulling the chain down from their own trap, allowing them to leave.

"Buh bye," Dean smirked at Alastair as they all flickered out.

They reappeared on the street, only to see that Sam was missing, "Where's your brother?" Tessa asked.

"I don't know but I'll find him," Michelle answered quickly, flickering out.

"You get out of here," Dean told Tessa.

She nodded and disappeared just as Michelle reappeared, "Pamela woke him up, but she was attacked. He's helping her."

Dean nodded, "We should probably get back to the room."

"Wait," she called, stopping him from flickering out, "Let's just check around the building for a second…make sure Alastair's not going to go after Tessa."

Dean nodded and they quickly made their way around the building. They were almost completely around when Alastair appeared, "You can't run," he told them, "Not from me."

Michelle smirked, "I wasn't running," she replied, SO ready to get her revenge on the man, "I was _leading_."

Suddenly a bolt of lightning zapped down on Alastair, illuminating the night for a moment. When the two looked back up, they saw that Alastair was gone.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, staring at Michelle in shock, not understanding what had just gone down.

"Guess again," a voice said behind him. They turned around to see Castiel standing there, "What just happened, you three just saved a seal. And thanks to you," he nodded at Michelle, smiling, "We captured Alastair. This was a victory."

"Well, no thanks to you," Dean remarked under his breath, but Castiel heard him anyway.

"What makes you say that?" Castiel tilted his head.

"You were here the whole time?"

"Enough of it."

"Well thanks for the help with the rock salt," Dean glared, that shit _hurt_!

"That paint on the funeral home, we couldn't penetrate it. I'm sure Michelle warned you of this."

"I did," she smiled, "Dean's just bitter to be on the receiving end of getting shot this time."

"Damn angel proofing," Dean bit out under his breath.

"Why do you think I recruited you and Sam in the first place?" Castiel continued.

"_You_ recruited us?" Dean frowned.

"That, uh, _wasn't_ Bobby on the phone," Michelle told him hesitantly, "It wasn't Bobby who mentioned the seal either."

"That was_ you_?" Dean glared at Castiel, before turning to Michelle, "And you_ knew_?"

"He asked me not to tell you," she shrugged, she trusted Castiel.

"If you want our help why the hell didn't you just _ask_?" Dean turned to the angel.

"Because whatever I ask you seem to do the exact opposite," Castiel replied.

"And Alastair?" Dean's glare returned, "You just decided to use Michelle as bait?"

"Actually…" Michelle cut in, "I offered that myself."

"What?" he spun to face her.

"Cas said they wanted to capture him. So I offered to get him alone and have him track my location to capture him."

Dean shook his head at how out of the loop he was. He was the oldest, it was his job to protect her and Sam, if she went running around to sacrifice herself to get demons how was he supposed to…wait. _Now_ he understood what Sam felt that whole year he'd been about to go to Hell. Damn…

"So what now huh?" Dean sighed, "The people in this town are just gonna start dying again?"

"Yes," Castiel said simply.

"These are good people," Dean argued, "Don't you think you can make a few exceptions?"

"To everything there is a season."

Dean frowned at how similar that was to what Michelle had said in the beginning, "You made an exception for us."

"You're different," Castiel said, before disappearing just as Tessa reappeared.

"I could use your help," she said.

~8~

They appeared back at Cole's house once more, watching as he watched his mother for a moment before Tessa spoke.

"Hey, Cole."

He jumped, turning around to see Dean, Michelle, and Tessa, but no Sam. He glared at Dean, "Tell your brother thanks for nothing."

"Look at her Cole, do you see how unhappy she is?" Tessa changed the subject, nodding towards his mother.

"That's why I want to stay with her."

"As long as she can feel you she'll be in pain 'cause she can't let go," Michelle told him, "Because you won't let go of her."

"Why won't anyone tell me what's on the other side?" he frowned, if he knew, he might go.

"Maybe nobody wants to ruin the surprise," Tessa smiled.

"That's not an answer."

"She won't answer you Cole," Dean cut in, "Reapers never do. But trust me, staying here is a whole lot worse than anything that's over there."

"Why?"

"Because one day your family will be gone and there will be nothing left here for you," Michelle answered calmly, "It's ok to be scared…"

"I'm not scared," he cut in.

"We're_ all_ scared," Dean argued, "That's the big secret. We're all scared."

"Are you coming?" Cole looked at the two of them.

"Oh I'm sure we'll be there sooner than you think," Dean smiled.

Cole looked back at his mother, torn.

"Cole," Michelle called, getting his attention, "I'm pretty good at helping the guys calm down and feel better…" Cole looked back at Dean, who smiled fondly and nodded, it was true, she did seem to have that uncanny ability to settle their nerves, he knocked it off to just a female thing, "If you want, I can see if I can help your mom too."

Cole nodded, smiling at her gratefully, before walking towards Tessa, content that his mother would be well looked-after when he crossed. Michelle smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder a moment before she walked towards his mother. Tessa hugged him, absorbing him into her, to carry him to the other side. Dean looked over at Michelle, who placed a hand on Mrs. Griffin's shoulder. The woman looked up, as though she could feel the departure of her son and the comforting hand helping her let go.

When Mrs. Griffin smiled, just a bit, Dean turned to Tessa, "Look out for that boy."

Tessa nodded, looking back and forth between Dean and Michelle, "You guys look out for yourselves too."

~8~

Back in the motel room Dean gasped awake to see Pamela stumbling away from his bed to sit on Sam's and whisper the incantation to Michelle.

As she leaned back, Sam helping her, Dean quickly rushed to her side as well, kneeling on the floor.

"Hey, we just gotta talk to Tessa that's all," Sam assured the woman, "Get her to hold off reaping until we get you better."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's started up again," Pamela commented as blood seeped between her fingers from a stab wound in her stomach from where a demon had attacked her.

"What happened?" Dean asked, "Michelle said you'd been attacked."

"Obviously I was."

"Pamela, I'm so sorry," Sam said.

"Stop."

"You don't deserve this," Dean added.

"Yeah, I _don't_," she agreed, pulling off her glasses, her eyes shut, "I _told_ you I _didn't_ want anything to _do_ with this. Do me a favor. Tell that bastard Bobby Singer to go to Hell for ever introducing me to you two in the first place."

Just then Michelle gasped awake.

"Take it easy Pamela," Dean remarked, "If it's any consolation, you're going to a better place."

"You're lying, but what the hell right?" Pamela scoffed, "Everybody's gotta go sometime."

"But not right now," Michelle stated, leaning over and putting pressure on Pamela's wound, "Call an ambulance."

"Michelle it's too late," Sam whispered guiltily, Pamela's words weighing heavily on him.

"It's not over till the fat lady sings," Michelle nearly growled, "And as long as there's pressure on that wound, the fat lady's gagged, so will one of you call a damn ambulance already?!"

Dean eyed Michelle, seeing she was serious. She truly thought there was time to save Pamela. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell, quickly calling 911.

"They're on their way," Dean said, snapping the phone shut.

"Pamela!" Michelle called as the woman's head lulled, "Pamela!"

~8~

Sam, Dean, and Michelle stood in Pamela's hospital room the next day. The ambulance had gotten there just in time to treat her and get her to the emergency room. She'd been out like a light due to the blood loss and they just wanted to wait till she came around before leaving.

They stiffened in their spots around her bed when they saw Pamela shift, "Hey guys," she smiled.

"Pamela," Dean smirked.

"How are you feeling?" Sam smiled.

"Like I just got stabbed in the gut," Pamela replied, opening her eyes as the boys gasped.

"I'm glad you're alive to feel it," Michelle grinned and went to hug the woman.

"Pamela…" Sam began, his eyes as wide as his brother's, "Your eyes…"

"What about them?" Pamela stared at him.

"They're back," Dean breathed.

And in fact her eyes _were _back, completely healed, as though they'd never been burned out of her skull.

She smirked, "I know."

"How?" Sam frowned.

She just reached out and took Michelle's hand, who was sitting on the side of her bed, "Michelle here um...called in a favor with an angel."

Michelle rolled her eyes, "I asked Castiel if he could help out. He actually felt really bad about what happened to Pam so he agreed."

"And when were you going to _tell_ us this?" Dean frowned, what was with everyone keeping secrets from him?

"I didn't know we were going to see Pam again," she argued.

After a few more minutes of idle chat, it was time for the trio to make their escape. Dean and Michelle hugged Pamela, walking out, while Pamela hugged Sam, holding him to her while she whispered something to him.

"What's wrong?" Michelle asked quietly as she and Dean entered the hallway.

"Nothing," Dean replied.

"I know you better than that. Now tell me."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Are _you_ going to keep secrets from me _too_?"

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"First with Cas calling you, then with trying to get Alastair captured, then Pamela's eyes…" he let out a frustrated breath, "Am I going to have to worry about you too now?"

She blinked, sensing this was stemming from all Sam's secrets and lies, "Sorry, I just…I know you don't like angels, but I at least trust Castiel and I knew how you felt about him. At least take comfort in this, while I kept secrets they involved _angels_, Sam…his involve _demons_. I've definitely got the lesser of two evils."

Seeing that it wasn't helping much, she walked over to him and gave him a hug he would later deny getting, "I know you don t like people keeping secrets from you, but I promise, I _will_ tell you them eventually. You will always find out about them, I'll always tell you. Maybe not when I first create them, but before the end you will. And the only ones I keep are the _really_ important, really _personal_ ones. Ok?"

He nodded, "Ok…for now."

She rolled her eyes at him as Sam came out, looking crestfallen, "What's wrong?" she asked, but he just shut Pamela's door.

"What'd she say to you?" Dean frowned.

Sam just shook his head and walked off down the hall, he couldn't tell them that Pamela had said she knew about what he'd done to the demon that attacked her, exorcized it with his powers. He'd thought she was blind, but she saw, she knew...she'd warned him against using them, against what she knew he was doing to strengthen them.

But he couldn't stop, not now, not when he was slowly getting strong enough to stop Lilith once and for all.

A/N: In the show, Dean's time in the pit left an impression on him, enough where he was of use to the angels in dealing with the captive Alastair...But now, Dean wasn't the one in the pit, Michelle was but...she's already said the demons didn't break her. So, if she never broke like Dean did, how will either of them be able to help the angels now?

I guess we'll find out :)

All I'll say is...poor Michelle.

On a slightly unrelated note...the DW prequel and trailer on youtube...I died. Epic!


	17. On the Head of a Pin

On the Head of a Pin

They were driving down the road, Sam actually doing the driving this time, while Dean sat in the passenger's seat and Michelle took the back.

"Ruby will meet us in Cheyenne," he told them, glancing at Dean and then back at Michelle through the rearview mirror before turning back to Dean, "She's been tracking some leads. I know she's not exactly on your Christmas list, but if she can help us get to Lilith…"

"Hey, man, work with Ruby," Dean cut in, "I don't really give a rat's ass."

"What's your problem?" Sam glanced over at him. Dean had been in a mood ever since they saved the reaper seal.

"Pamela didn't want anything to do with this and we dragged her back into it, Sam," Dean muttered. It had been _his _idea to involve her and the woman had nearly died because he was so gung-ho to stop the reapers from being taken. He was more frustrated with himself for putting her in a position where she'd almost died than anything else.

"She knew what was at stake."

"Oh yeah," Dean rolled his eyes, "Saving the world. And we're doing such a damn good job of it."

"Dean…" Michelle began, knowing he was angry and lashing out at the wrong people.

"I'm just tired of burying friends," he sighed.

"But we didn't bury her," she reminded him, "Pam's just fine. She'll heal up in no time."

Dean nodded, though he didn't exactly feel better. He didn't even want to think about how close they'd come to losing Pamela, yet another person who would have died because of them.

"Look, we catch a fresh trail…" Sam said, trying to get him to move on.

"And we follow it," Dean cut in, "I know. Like I said, I'm just getting tired."

"Well, get angry."

Michelle frowned at Sam's words, before looking between the brothers. It almost sounded like they were willing to give up.

That would not do.

~8~

That night, they entered their motel room, Dean smirking at the dinginess he could just see in the dark, "Ah, home crappy home."

Sam flipped on the lights and they froze.

"Uriel," Michelle glared at the angel standing in the middle of the room, waiting for them with Castiel.

He just smiled, "Winchester and Winchester and Davidson."

"Oh come on!" Dean threw his bag on the table next to him, now very frustrated.

"What do you want?" Sam demanded.

"You are needed," Uriel informed them.

"Needed?" Dean glared at the angel, "We just got _back_ from needed."

"Mind your tone with me..." Uriel warned.

"No, you mind your damn tone with us!"

"We just got back from visiting Pamela in the hospital," Sam told them, sounding just as tired as Dean had in the car.

"Pamela. You know, psychic Pamela? You remember her. Cas, you remember her. You burned her eyes out. Remember that? Good times. Yeah, she nearly _died_ saving one of your precious seals. So maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for _five freaking minutes_!"

"We raised you to Heaven for our purposes," Uriel stepped towards him.

Michelle pushed her way through to stand before the brothers, almost as though she was now protecting them from the angel, "No, you raised him because I _asked_ you to."

"We had our reasons for agreeing," Uriel stopped before her.

"We know this is difficult…" Castiel began, when Uriel cut in.

"And _we_…" he looked pointedly at Castiel, "…don't care. Now, seven angels have been murdered, all of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

"Demons?" Dean frowned.

"How?" Michelle shook her head. It didn't make sense, the _only_ thing that could kill an angel was an angel. Had the demons found some way around that?

"We don't know," Uriel replied grimly.

"I'm sorry, but what do you want us to do about it?" Sam stepped forward next to his brother and Michelle, "I mean, a demon with the juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?"

"We can handle the demons, thank you very much," Uriel shot back, offended.

"Once we find whoever it is," Castiel added.

"So you need our help hunting a demon?" Michelle shook his head.

Castiel frowned, "Not quite. We have Alastair."

"Great," Dean rolled his eyes, "He should be able to name your trigger man."

"But he won't talk," Castiel continued as though Dean had not spoken, "Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse."

"Yeah, well, from what we've heard he's like a black belt in torture," Dean glanced warily at Michelle, but she gave no indication she was upset by the memories any longer. Her nightmares had ceased completely a little while ago but it didn't mean she was comfortable with what had happened to her, "I mean, you guys are out of your league."

"That's why we've come to his favorite toy," Uriel turned to Michelle, "You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

"What do you mean?" Michelle frowned, not understanding.

Castiel exchanged a look with Uriel before stepping over to Michelle, ignoring how the brothers took a small step towards her, as though ready to defend her at a moment's notice.

"You refused to be healed," he began slowly, "As a result, all you endured in Hell left a lasting impression on you."

"I sort of figured that much out," she replied, not liking where this was going.

"That sort of mark can trigger a reaction in others."

"What does that mean Cas?"

"If you were to place your hand on another's heart and will it so, all your pain and the memories you have of Hell would be temporarily replayed in them. They would experience all that you had."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean cut in, "You want to use Michelle to make Alastair suffer what she suffered by forcing him to relive it? Is that what you're saying?"

Castiel actually looked a bit startled that Dean had gotten it correct. He nodded, but turned solemn as he faced Michelle once more, "There is one drawback to this method."

"And that's…" she trailed.

"It will force you to relive it as well," Uriel said when Castiel hesitated.

Michelle shuddered, "No…" she shook her head quickly, her breathing increasing. Dean reached out and put an arm over her shoulder, pulling her to his side, shielding her from the angels.

"You are our best hope," Castiel frowned. He did not want to see her suffer, truly he didn't.

"No, no way, _please_," she nearly begged, "You _can't_ ask me to do this, Cas. Not_ this_."

Uriel just walked over to her, ignoring Dean, "Who said anything about _asking_?"

A moment later, she and Dean were gone, leaving Sam alone in the room.

~8~

Michelle stood in the middle of an abandoned building, staring at Alastair, chained to a Star of David in the middle of a Devil's Trap, through a window in the door.

"The Devil's Trap is old Enochian," Castiel explained, "He's bound completely."

"Fascinating," Dean glared at the angel, walking over to Michelle, putting an arm around her and turning her away from the window, "Where's the door?"

"Where are you going?" Castiel tilted his head in question.

"Hitch back to Cheyenne, thank you very much," Dean tried to lead her past Castiel, but Uriel appeared, blocking his path.

"Angels are _dying_," Uriel glared at him.

Dean couldn't really care any less about that, he could feel Michelle trembling next to him. There was no way in hell he was letting them do this to her, "_Everybody's_ dying these days. And hey, I get it. You're all-powerful. You can make us do whatever you want. But you _can't_ make Michelle do this. I won't let you."

"How are you going to stop us?"

Dean's jaw clenched, "I'll figure something out."

"This is too much to ask," Castiel cut in, "I know. But…"

"But what?" Dean rounded on him, "But you're _ok_ with letting Michelle _torture herself_ just to get some demon to _maybe_ talk? What if it doesn't work? Huh? What then? You've just put her through Hell _twice_ and you're not even sure it'll work!"

"I want to talk to Castiel," Michelle said suddenly, glancing pointedly at Uriel, "Alone."

"Really?" he smirked.

"Really," Michelle glared, "Don't make me order you."

Uriel stared at her a moment, seeing she was serious, before smiling, "I think I'll go seek revelation. We might have some further orders."

"Well, get some donuts while you're out!" Dean called after him.

Uriel just laughed and disappeared.

"What's going on Cas?" Michelle turned to eye the angel, concerned, "Since when does _Uriel _give you orders?"

"My superiors have begun to question my sympathies," Castiel replied.

"Your sympathies?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I was getting too close to the humans in my charge," he looked at Dean, "You and your brother," and then turned to focus on Michelle, "Especially you. They feel I've begun to express emotions, the doorways to doubt. This can impair my judgment."

"So they knock you down the ladder and put Uriel in charge?" Dean scoffed.

"He is a proud and able instrument of God," Castiel defended.

Michelle snorted, "I wouldn't be too sure of that Cas. Something _isn't_ right. Why do you want me to do this?"

"We do not _want_ it," Castiel sighed, "But I have been told we_ need_ it."

"By who?" Michelle tilted her head, "Uriel?"

Castiel said nothing for a few minutes, "I would give _anything_ not to have you do this," he said sincerely.

Michelle stared at him a moment before sighing, "Fine."

"Michelle…" Dean began, but she held up a hand quieting him.

"I'll do it…but I'd like Dean to be there," she decided.

"Why?" Dean asked, eyeing her with worry.

Michelle was _never _one to ask for help.

She swallowed hard, "I know it'll take a lot out of me, to do this. In between, I'm just…I don't…" she struggled to find the words, "When I was in Hell, I'd think of how much I wanted to make Alastair pay, but then I'd realize it couldn't happen with me chained to the rack, but it never stopped me from _dreaming_ about it. I'm going to need someone to remind me I'm not back in Hell, that I've actually gotten out."

Dean's jaw tightened and he nodded, walking over to the door that led to Alastair's room, Michelle following after.

"Cas," Michelle called over her shoulder as she paused and looked over at the angel, "I'd keep an eye out…I don't think Uriel's seeking revelation. God wouldn't want me to do this and you know it."

With that she, turned and entered Alastair's room, Dean shutting the door behind her, leaving Castiel deep in thought.

Michelle looked around the room, seeing a small cart set up along the side with a few items on it, salt and holy water mostly, probably used to subdue him. She looked up to see Alastair standing there, humming a tune before she took a breath and walked over to him.

She glanced back at Dean before facing Alastair, who was now laughing, "I'm sorry. This is a very serious, very emotional situation for you. I shouldn't laugh, it's just that…I mean, are they _serious_? They sent _you_ to torture _me_?"

Michelle swallowed hard, glaring at the demon, "You got one chance. One. Tell me who's killing the angels. I want a name."

"You think I'll see all your scary glares and spill my guts?" Alastair laughed again.

"Oh, you'll spill your guts, one way or another," Dean added, looking over at the cart, it actually had a few knives on it. And he was fully prepared to step in if it got to be too much for Michelle.

"Oh, yeah?"

Michelle glanced over to see Dean holding a knife, nodding as she got what he was implying. She turned back to Alastair, "Now answer the question."

"Or what?" Alastair raised an eyebrow, "You'll work me over? But then, maybe you don't _want _to. Maybe you're, ah, _scared_ to. But, come on. You gotta want a little payback for everything I did to you. For all the pokes and prods. Hmm?"

Michelle stared at him impassively, using everything her father had ever taught her about not rising to the bait.

He smirked, looking over her shoulder at Dean, "How about you? You want some payback?"

"You didn't get the chance to deal with Dean," Michelle stated.

"No. But he might want some revenge for what I did to daddy dearest."

"What are you talking about?" Dean demanded as he strode up to Alastair.

"I had your pop on my rack for close to a century," Alastair continued.

"Dean," Michelle cut in, turning to Dean, pushing him back, "Don't listen to him."

"John Winchester," Alastair said in reminiscence, "Made a good name for himself. A hundred years. After each session, I'd make him the same offer I made Michelle. I'd put down my blade, if he picked one up."

"Just give me the demon's name, Alastair," Michelle rounded on the demon.

"But he said 'nein' each and every time, damned if I couldn't break him. Pulled out all the stops, but John, he was, well, made of something unique. The stuff of heroes. Kinda like you," he smirked down at Michelle, "I bet you coulda gone on millennias and never broken," then he looked up at Dean, "Unlike daddy's little boy. Oh ho ho, you would have broken _beautifully_, barely thirty years on the rack and you'd be racking others."

Dean looked over at Michelle for confirmation. He knew she'd been shown what he would have done when he was in Hell. But he hadn't known that he'd be broken like _that _or even that quickly. She frowned regretfully at him but Dean just took a breath and accepted that this was how it _would have_ _been_, but it wasn't how it was_ now_. Michelle had saved him, no point dwelling on a past that didn't exist.

Michelle stepped up to Alistair, staring him in the eyes, "Let's get started."

She quickly put her hand over Alastair's heart and was swept into a vision of her first few months being tortured in Hell. The only thing tethering her to the fact that this was _just _a memory was the faint sound of Alastair screaming in the back of her mind.

"Oh, man," Alastair mumbled when Michelle pulled her hand back, nearly falling backwards, breathing heavily from the experience, having prayed that it wouldn't have been as extreme as it had been, but her prayers had gone unanswered it seemed, it was worse. She wiped her forehead, feeling a thin layer of sweat. Dean had caught her before she fell, steadying her as she stood up again.

She swallowed hard and nodded her thanks to Dean before going over to Alastair, "Let me know if you want some more. There's plenty left."

"Go directly to Hell," Alastair spat at her, "Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars."

Dean smiled a bit, it seemed like that small taste of torture was working. Now he just had to hope Michelle could handle more.

But she seemed ready for round two fairly quickly, especially when Alastair started talking again.

"Do you really think this is gonna fix you?" Alastair mocked, "Give you closure? That is _sad_. That's _really _sad. Sad, sad..."

Michelle got ready to place her hand on him once more.

Alastair actually looked scared, "No!"

But Michelle didn't listen, she just shoved him back, her hand over his heart, sucked back into another memory of Hell.

~8~

Dean wasn't smiling anymore. The last round Michelle had had with Alastair had left her trembling in his arms as he tried to steady her. She was shaking even more, breathing so heavily he thought she might be hyperventilating. There was a glazed look in her eyes, tears streaking down her face, and she was hugging herself tightly as tough she were about to fall apart. Her reactions to the memories was getting worse as well, she was actually screaming as she recalled what happened, crying and flinching as though actually experiencing what was happening. He didn't know what he was expecting though, she'd been dealing with Alastair for _hours _now and he knew, by now, she'd been reliving the experiences that Alastair himself had dealt her.

"You want to take a break?" Dean whispered to her, fearing for her wellbeing more than ever.

She just shook her head and moved to step closer to Alastair once again.

"Now that's the professionalism that I respect," Alastair grinned, though he looked more weary and worn than before.

"Take a break," Dean ordered gently, "I'll take it from here," he walked over to the cart, grabbing some holy water and splashing Alastair in the face with it, "Who's murdering the angels?"

Michelle took a breath and slowly opened the door back to the factory. She hesitated, though, when she saw Anna, looking as she had when she'd been human, standing there with Castiel. She didn't want to intrude, but couldn't move without being seen so she was forced to listen to their conversation. From what she could gather Anna was reprimanding Castiel for forcing her to torture Alastair and in return pushing Dean's trust in angels away. It also seemed that Anna shared her belief that something was wrong in Heaven and the orders being given out were _not_ coming from God. Castiel eventually sent Anna away and sighed heavily. Michelle bowed her head and tiredly went back into the room with Dean and Alastair.

She saw Dean shoving holy water down Alastair's throat, the demon coughing it out along with blood, as she walked up to them, "You're just not getting deep enough," he told Dean, before glancing at her, "You lack the resources. Reality is just, I don't know, too concrete up here. Honestly…" he looked back and forth between Dean and Michelle, seeming to figure something out before laughing.

"What?" Dean demanded.

"You have no idea how bad it would have been, do you?" he asked Dean, before turning to Michelle, "You never told him what he would have done for us."

"What?" Dean repeated, looking at Michelle.

"The whole bloody thing, Dean," Alastair smirked, "The _reason _Lilith wanted you there in the first place. Not Sam, _you_."

"Dean," Michelle said suddenly, actually looking worried, "Go outside to Castiel."

"Why?" Dean frowned, but when he saw Michelle's pleading face he turned to leave.

"You know, it was supposed to be your father!" Alastair called, getting his attention just before Michelle forced him into another memory.

She fell backwards after she pulled out, kneeling on the floor, looking like she was about to vomit. Dean rushed to her side, ignoring the door he'd been about to walk out of.

"He was supposed to bring it on," Alastair continued, "But, in the end, we realized it wasn't him…it was _you_."

"Bring what on?" Dean looked up at him.

"Oh, every night, I would have given you the same offer, remember, same as your father. Take you off the rack, if you put others on, and you would have broken, you would have said 'Sign me up.' And the first time you picked up my razor, the first time you sliced into that weeping bitch we found…it would have been the first seal."

"What?" Dean's eyes widened in horror.

"'And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell,'" Michelle muttered weakly, "'As _he _breaks, so shall_ it_ break.'"

"Now you see why she was so _eager_ to get you out of Hell," Alastair sighed, "We had to break the first seal before any others, it should have been _you_ but Little Miss Michelle here took your place before we could even get the party started with you."

"But the first seal broke anyway?" Dean asked, how else would the other seals be able to be broken?

"We found a replacement. Made sure to finish him off as well, can't have him spoiling all our fun. A shame really. It was supposed to be you but, what are you gonna do?"

Dean glared at the demon, before looking down at Michelle, who was barely conscious by that point, so physically, emotionally, and mentally worn from it all. He'd talk to her about this later, but for now he _had_ to get her out and get Cas to help her. He'd come back here himself and finish the demon off.

He hefted her to her feet, glaring at Alastair, before turning to face the door. But right when he turned, Alastair appeared in front of him, the Devil's Trap broken by a smidge of water that had dropped onto the paint, smearing it.

"You should talk to your plumber about the pipes," he stated, before punching Dean so hard he flew back and into the wall. Dean watched in horror as Alastair grabbed Michelle and began to beat her mercilessly, the girl, for once, too weak to defend herself.

Dean pushed himself up and ran at him, but Alastair just dropped her and grabbed Dean by the throat, shoving him up against the Star of David, lifting him off the floor.

"Cas…" Michelle breathed, trying to get up but slumping on the floor.

Alastair turned around when he felt Castiel appear out of nowhere, stabbing him with Ruby's knife. He dropped Dean, who forced himself to crawl over to Michelle.

"Well, almost," Alastair commented, looking down at the knife doing nothing in his chest, "Looks like God is on my side today."

Castiel lifted a hand, twisting the knife further into the demon. Alastair grunted in pain but pulled the knife out and tossed it away before charging at Castiel. Dean pulled Michelle to him and managed to maneuver them back to the wall as Castiel and Alastair fought. Alastair slammed Castiel against the wall, chocking him.

"Well, like roaches, you celestials," Alastair spat, "Now, I really wish I knew how to kill you. But all I can do is send you back to Heaven."

Alastair began to chant in Latin, causing a white light to appear in Castile's eyes and mouth.

"Cas…" Michelle muttered weakly, barely able to see through her swollen eyes and tears.

Suddenly Alastair stopped, appearing to choke, before he was slammed against a wall. The group looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, one hand raised.

"Stupid pet tricks," Alastair remarked.

"Who's murdering the angels?" Sam demanded, "How are they doing it?"

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"Yeah, I do," Sam nodded, twisting his hand, causing Alastair's eyes to become white as he choked, "How are the demons killing angels?"

"I don't know," Alastair gasped.

"Right," Sam said sarcastically.

"It's not us. We're not doing it."

"I don't believe you."

"Lilith is not behind this," he swore, "She wouldn't kill _seven_ angels. Oh, she'd kill a _hundred_, a _thousand_!" Sam stopped suddenly, allowing Alastair to breathe, "Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can _kill_."

Sam held out his hand once again, concentrating as black light flickered inside Alastair, forcing the demon smoke out of him and burning it up in the air.

Dean looked down, concerned, as Michelle buried her face in his chest, trying her hardest _not_ to look at Sam.

Now he knew something was _definitely_ wrong with his brother for her to react like that.

~8~

Michelle was in bad condition at the hospital that day. She was lying in a bed, heavily bandaged, with a breathing tube and IV drip. Sam and Dean sat on either side of her bed. Dean had been admitted the same time as her, but his injuries, compared to the stress Michelle's body had gone through as well as her own injuries, were far easier to treat. The boys stared at her, serious expressions on their faces as they watched her. They'd _never _seen her like this, a scratch or cut here or there, maybe a bruise, but _never_ hospital worthy. They didn't like seeing her so helpless and vulnerable.

Dean looked up, his expression darkening when he saw Castiel standing in the doorway. Sam noticed his brother's look and followed his gaze. He stepped back into the hallway, the boys following after him.

"I…" he began.

"Get in there and _heal_ her," Dean demanded, both brothers glaring at the angel.

"Miracle. _Now_." Sam added.

"I can't," Castiel sighed, looking remorseful and _very_ guilty.

"You and Uriel _put _her in there!" Dean shouted.

"No…"

"…because you can't keep a simple Devil's Trap together," Sam continued.

"I don't know what happened," he looked down, "That trap...it _shouldn't_ have broken. I am sorry. _So_ sorry."

"This whole thing was_ pointless_," Dean spat, "You understand that? You made her _suffer_ for _nothing_!"

Castiel flinched at that.

"The demons aren't doing the hits," Sam said, "Something _else _is killing your soldiers."

"Perhaps Alastair was lying?" Castiel tried, looking for anything that could make him feel better about what had happened to Michelle. But he knew, deep down, that Sam was right, and, he had a sneaking suspicion, so were Michelle and Anna.

"No, he wasn't," Sam argued, glancing at Dean before the turned and stalked back into Michelle's room, not seeing Castiel's whole manner droop as though _he'd_ been the one beaten.

~8~

The next day the doctors had removed Michelle's breathing tube and she was sitting up in bed, talking quietly with Dean. Sam had disappeared to the motel room to update Ruby and collect their stuff so they could leave as soon as Michelle was discharged.

Castiel suddenly appeared next to them.

"Are you alright?" he asked Michelle, reaching out to take her hand in his.

"I'll live," she smiled a bit, "How are you?"

Castiel looked down at Dean's scoffing at Michelle's concern for him, knowing he didn't deserve her worry.

"Uriel is dead," Castiel remarked.

"About time," Michelle sighed, lying back.

"Was it demons?" Dean asked.

"'The only thing that can kill an angel is an angel,'" Michelle recited, her eyes closed in thought, "It was Uriel, wasn't it?"

Castiel nodded solemnly, "It was disobedience. He was working against us."

"I _knew_ it," Michelle shook her head.

It was quiet for a minute before Dean sighed and leaned forward, "Is it true? Was _I_ supposed to break the first seal? To start all this?"

"Yes," Castiel nodded.

"But how did you know?" Dean looked over at Michelle. How had she know he was meant to break the first seal? Alastair had implied that had been the reason she'd taken his spot in the first place, but...she'd said she learned about it IN the pit...it didn't make sense.

She looked back at him a moment before looking at Castiel and looking down, "I _didn't_…I was going to get you out as soon as I could anyway, for Sam, and for you. The torture was worse in the pit when I took your place because they _knew_ they'd lost the opportunity to get you to break the seal."

Dean shook his head, sitting back, "And even after you stopped me from doing it, it still got broken anyway."

Michelle nodded, "And then they killed the man who did it, they think it'll keep the seal safe."

"Safe from what?" Dean frowned.

"'The righteous man who begins it, is the _only_ one who can finish it,'" Michelle quoted, "They thought that, by destroying the man who started it, he can't stop it."

"So we're basically screwed," Dean sighed, "We _can't_ stop the Apocalypse."

"Yes, we can," Castiel cut in.

"Oh yeah? How? You and your angel buddies going to resurrect him?"

"We can't, his soul was destroyed," Castiel informed him.

"Then _how_ are you going to stop it?"

"_You_ can stop it," Michelle answered, "It was _meant _to be _you_ who started it, and so it's meant to be _you_ who stops it."

"She is correct," Castiel nodded, "It was _your_ destiny. Just because it was started without you...it's still yours."

"So _I'm_ supposed to stop the Apocalypse from coming?" Dean shook his head furiously, "Well, then you guys are _screwed_. I can't do it Cas. It's too big. I'm not strong enough…"

"Dean," Michelle called, reaching out to take his hand in hers, "Just because you're meant to stop it, doesn't mean I won't be there _every step of the way_ helping you and working with you. How many promises have I made to you?"

"A lot," he laughed just a bit, already feeling better, more confident at her words.

"And how many have I broken?"

He smiled more, "None."

She smiled too, "I _promise_ you will not have to do this alone."

He nodded a bit, his nods slowing as the full weight of what was happening hit him, and he began to cry. Michelle sat up, ignoring the pain in her ribs at the motion, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him, comforting him, offering her strength for what wouldn't be the last time.

A/N: In 'Hell' Michelle was a BAMF, wasn't she? She was a Hunter from a long line, trained to hunt, prepared, and able. I wanted to look at her more vulnerable side in 'Purgatory.' She's recovering from her time in the pit, she's dealing with an angry Dean and a Sam who's heading down a bad path, and angels watching their every move. I really wanted to show that she isn't invincible, there _are_ times where she can get hurt, where she suffers and isn't always the top-Hunter like she was. She's a different Michelle here, more human than soldier...at least...for now...

I didn't go in detail about what exactly she was reliving experience for experience. I honestly don't think I'd be able to write it well enough to live up to describing such an experience. I can't even begin to imagine what she's gone through so I just wanted her reactions to it to speak for them.


	18. It's a Terrible Life

It's a Terrible Life

Michelle was _not_ a very happy camper, not by a long shot. She'd woken up in the motel one day to see that Sam and Dean were gone. Not just gone as in 'not in the room' but gone as in probably not in the state! Their stuff was still there, their bags, their toiletries, Dean's finished off box of donuts…

At first she thought they'd found a hunt and had gone to do some research while letting her sleep, knowing her nightmares of Hell had returned since dealing with Alastair, so when she did sleep they both always let her for as long as possible. But when she looked outside and saw the Impala still parked there, she knew something was wrong.

She'd called Bobby, she'd called Castiel, she'd even called Rufus, but nothing. No one knew where they'd gone. So she'd buckled down and set out to find them. She'd packed up all their stuff, managed to find the keys to the Impala, and _finally_ got to drive her. She was _such_ a sweet ride!

She'd searched high and low for them and finally, after two weeks, she'd gotten a lead. Boy had she been surprised when she opened the newspaper in a local diner to see Dean, in a suit and a tie, standing with a bunch of stuffy old men and listed as Dean Smith, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Sandover Bridge & Iron. To say she had been confused was the understatement of the year. But at least she had a hint. She'd researched the company and hightailed it over there, praying that Sam wasn't too far away from Dean.

To say she'd been surprised when she'd gone up to Dean at the company, reprimanding him for just ditching her, and he had no idea who she was would be the understatement of the century. She'd done everything she could think of to snap him out of whatever had happened, talking about the Impala, telling him who she was, asking about Sam, but he'd just stared at her blankly. Trying to tell him about his real career as a Hunter of the supernatural...and all the creatures and ghosts they'd hunted together...probably _hadn't_ been the best idea.

That was how she'd ended up locked away in jail after Dean had called security on her and had her hauled away. Oh she would have her vengeance. But not now.

She'd managed to pick her way out of her handcuffs but she doubted picking her way out of the cell would be beneficial. The cops had confiscated her weapons and it would take too long to find them. So she decided to bide her time, see if Dean or Sam managed to snap themselves out of it and come for her. If not, by tomorrow night the company's security station would be lacking one cellmate and a wide variety of weapons.

~8~

As it turned out, being kept in the company's security station and holding facility made her privy to all the gossip the security guards mentioned as they walked past her cell every once in a while. It turned out that the day she'd been admitted an old man had been found with his head in the employee microwave, his retirement just two weeks away. And earlier this day, another employee had freaked out about a minor mistake, run to the bathroom, and then stabbed himself in the neck with a pencil.

Clearly this was supernatural related.

That night, just as she was picking the lock on her cell door, the door to the holding cells creaked open and, to her surprise, Sam and Dean walked through. Judging by the way Sam had stopped short and was staring at her as though trying to place where he'd seen her before, she could only assume he didn't remember her either.

"Hey Sammy," she greeted, sitting back on her small cot, "Dean."

"Do I know you?" Sam asked, frowning at her. He couldn't help but stare at her, it was the girl from his dreams. The ones he'd been having of him and Dean and a girl, fighting all sorts of monsters. There she was! She was _real_!

"I guess no more than Deano here," she nodded towards Dean, "Which, by the way, when you both snap out of this, I'm so going to bust your balls for."

"Enough," Dean said, leaning on the bars to her cell, giving her a hard look. Sam just looked confused, they'd just decided to go look for a possible ghost when Dean had said they needed to stop somewhere first, "The same day some guy offs himself in a microwave, you come up to me in the lobby, talking as if you know me and then rambling on about ghosts and creatures and…and the supernatural. So it's my impression that you've got an idea of what's going on around here," he glanced back at Sam, "More than me or Sam do. We're going after the ghost and…"

"And you need my help to make sure the scary ghost doesn't get you?" she supplied, smirking. She _never_ would have imagined the great Dean Winchester asking for her help hunting a ghost.

Awesome.

"We don't need your help," Dean remarked quickly.

"Yes, because you have _such _a good idea of what you're doing," she rolled her eyes, "Do you even _remember_ how to face a ghost?"

"I've never seen a ghost in my life. They don't exist."

"Yet you're so gung-ho to go after one?" she countered, smiling.

"Are you going to help us or not?"

"You gonna get me out of here? Or are you expecting me to talk you through it via telephone?"

He glared at her before turning around to go find a cop to let her out.

"So what do you think your name's now?" she said, looking up at Sam.

"Uh, Sam Wesson," he answered.

She raised a delicate eyebrow, "Smith and Wesson? Oh, the irony."

"What?" Sam frowned.

"Never mind," she shook her head as Dean came back in with a security guard. She was quickly let out of the cell and given her effects back before walking out of the room with Dean and Sam. They led her over to an elevator and pushed the 14th floor, "So, what have you got so far?"

Dean looked over at Sam, who had done some research, "Well, uh, we've both got this feeling it's something unnatural and I did some digging, the two people who died both were called to the same room, 1444, and then they were different."

"Turned into raging workaholics," Dean added as the elevator dinged and they stepped off.

Michelle nodded, "Well, it's definitely a ghost."

"Great," Dean remarked sarcastically, when they suddenly heard a man yelling. They ran down the hall up to room 1444. Sam quickly kicked the door open to reveal a man pinned beneath a shelf with monitors flickering and objects shaking. The boys ran to the man, lifting it off him, as Michelle took out a gun and aimed it around the room.

Suddenly an old man appeared behind her, flinging her into a wall and shoving Sam down, his hands sparking. Dean looked around for some sort of weapon, grabbing an old wrench and swinging it at the man, causing him to disappear. Everything shut off and stopped. They quickly returned to the fallen man, lifting the shelf so he could get away.

"How'd you know how to do that?" Sam looked over at Dean.

"I have no idea," he shook his head, shocked.

"Good to know your instincts are still intact at least," Michelle muttered to them, pushing herself off the floor, hiding her gun once more, "We need to get out of here before he shows up again."

~8~

The trio relocated to Dean's house, the boys very hyper and alert after their near-encounter with their 'first' ghost.

"Holy crap," Dean muttered, sipping Master Cleanse.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "I could use a beer."

"Oh, sorry, man," Dean frowned, "I'm on the Cleanse. I got rid of all the carbs in the house."

Michelle snorted loudly, both boys just looked over at her but she shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll get you a nice cheeseburger when this is all over."

Dean just eyed her curiously when Sam suddenly turned to him, a thought crossing his mind, "Hey. How the hell did you know that ghosts are scared of wrenches?"

"Crazy right?" Dean handed him a water bottle.

Michelle raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, crazy…the two of you. You _really_ think _ghosts_ are scared of _wrenches_?" they just stared at her, "Oh boy," she muttered, leaning forward and rubbing her head for a moment, "It wasn't the _wrench_, it was what the wrench was _made of_," they were still staring, "_Iron_."

Sam nodded slowly, "A lot of cultures believe iron had mystical properties, it makes sense."

Dean just shook his head at the two of them, "Nice job kicking that door too. That was very Jet Li. What are you, like a black belt or something?"

"No," Michelle answered for him.

"I have no clue how I did that," Sam admitted, "It's like...we've done this before."

"You _have_," Michelle insisted. She'd tried to explain to them on the way to the house that the instincts she'd been talking about had been their hunting reflexes, but it didn't seem like they were grasping that fact…or even believed her.

"What do you mean 'before?'" Dean eyed them, "Like Shirley MacLaine before?"

"No," Sam shook his head, sighing, "I…I just can't shake this feeling like I don't belong here. You know? Like I should do something more than sit in a cubicle."

"You should!" Michelle agreed.

Dean rolled his eyes at her, he still wasn't 100 percent on believing her story, "I think most people who work in a cubicle feel that same way."

"It's _more_ than that," Sam looked up at Dean, "Like...I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name. I don't know how else to explain it, except that...it feels like I should be doing something _else_. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? You ever feel that way?"

Michelle was watching Dean carefully, it seemed like Sam was on the right train of thought, but Dean had always been more hard-headed than his younger brother.

"I don't believe in destiny," there was the Dean she knew, "I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though."

"Alright," Sam frowned, looking over at Michelle, "So, what do we do now?"

"More research," she told them.

"Exactly," Dean grinned, agreeing for now, pushing Sam out of the chair before the open laptop, "Just what I do best Sammy."

"Ok," Sam nodded before stopping in realization, "Did you just call me _Sammy_?"

"Did I?" Dean frowned, not having caught that slip.

"Yeah, you did," Michelle smirked.

"Don't," Sam said firmly.

"Sorry," Dean smiled a bit, sitting down in front of the laptop.

"What are you looking for?" Michelle asked, stepping behind him to see over his shoulder.

"How to hunt ghosts," he replied, clicking away at something.

"You _do_ know that I can tell you _all _about that, right? Like Hunting 101?" she looked at him in question, not sure why, if they didn't exactly believe her, they were keeping her around. She shrugged, probably lingering 'instincts' that they knew her or something.

"Look, I still have no idea who you are or how you know me and Sam, for all I know you're some crazy stalker," he glanced up at her, "You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you," before Michelle could even speak about how that was ridiculous, Dean seemed to find something, "Oh, jackpot."

"What you got?" Sam walked over.

"I just found the _best_ site _ever_," Dean grinned, "Real, _actual_ ghost hunters."

Michelle glanced over and blanched, "The GhostFacers? _Really_?"

"What?" Dean looked up at her, "These guys are _genius_."

"Those guys are total _wannabes_," she corrected, "They couldn't face a ghost without wetting themselves if they had their bladders removed."

"Whatever," Dean frowned, turning back to the computer, "Check it out."

"Instructional videos," Sam smiled.

Ed and Harry popped up on screen, wearing white lab coats, "We know why you're watching," Ed said.

"You've got a problem," Harry continued.

"A_ ghost_ problem."

"A ghost-related problem. A ghost…it's like a ghost-adjacent pr…it's like a problem that's…"

"You _still _think they're legit?" Michelle laughed as the boys looked at each other skeptically. These guys were _idiots_.

"Whatever," Ed cut Harry off, "You've come to the right place. The only decent place, really, because the GhostFacers know how to solve it."

"Period," Harry emphasized.

"Watch and learn."

"See, the first step in any supernatural fight," Harry began before they both spoke in unison, "Figure out what you're up against."

"That's him," Dean paused the video and pointed to a printout Sam had made earlier of a man who looked just like the ghost, it was Sandover's founder, "That's the ghost."

"P. T. Sandover," Sam read from the file, "Died 1916. Devoted his life to his work. No wife, no kids."

Michelle leaned over him and quickly read the rest of the article. Apparently Sandover was a raging workaholic with high standards who hated failure, he was a perfectionist…sound familiar?

"Used to say he _was_ the company," Sam continued, "His very blood pumped through the building."

"Wow, ok," Dean frowned, "So slight workaholic. Maybe he's still here, you know, watching over the company, even killing for it."

"Plus, this isn't the first time people started killing themselves in the building," Michelle looked over at some other articles, clearly Sam still retained his fierce research skills, managing to come up with all this, while Dean...well...the GhostFacers, enough said there, "1929."

"But lots of guys jumped off high rises that year," Dean looked up at her.

"How many companies had _seventeen _suicides?" Sam countered.

"Ok, so P. T. Sandover, protector of the company, his ghost wakes up and becomes active during times of grave economic distress…"

"And the worst time since the Great Depression is…" Michelle began, hoping that promoting them to research and hunt would jog their memory.

"Is now," Dean sighed, "Yeah, now sucks. My portfolio's in the sewer. I don't even wanna talk about it."

Or not…

"So Sandover's helping the bottom line…" Michelle tried again.

"By zapping some model employees," Dean continued.

Michelle wanted to face palm _so badly_.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "I mean, Ian and Paul. It was like he turned them into different people."

"Perfect worker bees, exactly," Michelle smiled, they were _finally _getting somewhere, "So devoted to the company that they would commit hara-kiri if they failed it."

"One more interesting fact, the building wasn't always that high. Used to be fourteen floors. And the room where the ghost attacked, 1444? Once upon a time, that was the old man's office."

Dean turned back to the video, "Once you've got that thing in your sights…" Harry began, as they both spoke in sync, "You kill it."

"Using special ghost hunting weapons," Harry smirked.

"Salt," Michelle said, moments before Ed continued with the lesson.

"First, salt," the boys looked up at her, shocked.

"I told you so," she smirked.

"It's like acid to ghosts," Ed nodded.

"Burny acid," Harry clarified.

"Not LSD."

"No. It's a bad trip for ghosts. Next up…"

"Iron," Michelle said at the same time as Harry, "Like I said before."

"Pure power in your hand," Ed fist pumped.

"Dissipates ghosts instantly," Harry stated.

"Next little trick. We learned this from those useless douchebags…"

"That we hate."

"The Winchesters," Ed glared at the camera.

Michelle eyed the boys closely, biting her lip to keep from laughing as they didn't react to the slam against them, "Guns with rock salt bullets."

"Gun," Harry held one up as Ed held up some shells.

"Shotgun shell," Ed showed them, "Pack it up with fresh rock salt."

"Very effective."

"_Very_ effective."

"Winchesters still suck ass, though."

"Affirmative. Suckage _major_."

This time Michelle really _did_ snort. The boys looked up at her questioningly, "Nothing."

Dean just shook his head, getting up to look for some of the weapons the GhostFacers had mentioned. He'd found two pokers and a container of salt and went to put them in a bag, hesitating when he saw a few other items already in it. He looked up at Michelle to see her smiling, it had been her doing.

"Where do we even get a gun?" Dean asked her.

"A gun store?" she suggested.

"Isn't there some kind of waiting period?" Sam asked.

She shrugged, "Yup."

"How in the hell…" Dean began, before getting too frustrated to continue.

"This is starting to seem pretty impossible," Sam admitted.

Michelle rolled her eyes, "I got you covered," she held up her gun, "And I've got about a dozen more in the car, you can pick what you want later."

They just stared at her in shock at what she'd just said before slowly turning back to the video, "The aforementioned, super-annoying Winchester douchenozzles also taught us this one other thing," Ed spoke before Michelle joined in, "You have to burn the remains."

"Ok, this next part gets a little gross," Harry said and Michelle quoted him exactly, "Sometimes you might have to dig up the body."

"It's illegal in some states," Ed sated.

"All states," Harry corrected.

"Possibly all states."

"Sandover was cremated," Sam said.

"What?" Dean spun to face him, "So what do we do now?"

"There has to be something left of him somewhere," Michelle replied, "There has to be some small form of remains. A piece of hair, a fingernail, even something as small as a skin fragment, that's all it takes to bring on a ghost."

"Now, if the deceased has been cremated…" Harry continued, drawing their attention.

"Don't panic," Ed warned.

"Don't panic."

"Just gotta look for some other remains."

"A hair in a locket, maybe. Fingernails. Baby teeth."

"Milk teeth."

"Genetic material. You know what we're talking about."

"Go find it."

"Fight well, young lions."

"Godspeed."

The video stopped and Michelle burst out laughing.

"What?" Dean asked, eyeing her as though she'd gone crazy.

"Oh please," she wiped a tear from her eye and sat up, "Those douchebags who suck ass and are the super-annoying Winchester douchenozzles? You guys…"

"I'm not following," Sam frowned.

"_You_ are the Winchesters!" she half-yelled at them, "They just totally ragged on you and you don't even _realize_ it. It is _amazing_."

Sam and Dean exchanged a semi-worried look.

"Uh…I'm Sam Wesson," Sam pointed to himself then Dean, "And that's Dean Smith."

"Really?" she sobered slightly, staring at them blankly, "And you're _still _not seeing the irony in these new names of yours?" they shook their heads, "Winchester _riffles_? Smith & Wesson _ammunition_? _Weapons_?" they still just stared at her, she rolled her eyes, "Whatever, let's just go finish off the ghost."

~8~

The trio entered the elevator of the company that same night, Michelle turning to them seriously, "Set your cell phones to walkie-talkie in case we get separated."

"How the hell are we gonna find some ancient speck of DNA in a skyscraper?" Sam asked out loud as they did as she told them.

"Well, I was thinking, that creepy storeroom used to be Sandover's office, right?" Dean spoke up, pushing button 14.

"Good thinking," Michelle stated.

They quickly got off and made their way back to the office. Dean was standing behind some shelves, Michelle crouched next to him, sifting through a box, while Sam rummaged around the desk, just trying to find something, when a guard entered the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, his light trained on Sam.

"Nothing," Sam answered, "I just…"

Dean moved to step forward but Michelle quickly stood and put a hand to his mouth, pulling him back.

"Come with me," the guard ordered, grabbing Sam's arm and pulling him out of the room.

The duo waited a moment until the light in the hallway faded before Michelle pulled her hand away from him.

"Are you crazy?" he glared at her, "We can't just let them take Sam…"

"Sam can take care of himself," she cut in, "Trust me, I give him five minutes before he manages to slip away and get back ok?" Dean just stared at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine, _I'll_ go help Sam slip away, _you_ keep looking."

She stalked out of the room, following the fading light of the guard, until it disappeared behind the elevator. She cursed silently under her breath, heading for the stairs, she rushed up and could hear a faint ding every time the elevator passed a floor until she got to a floor and it didn't ding.

She walked out onto that floor and over to the elevator to see that it had stopped on the floor below her. She heard a sudden creak as the elevator jerked.

"You ok?" she asked into the phone.

"Call you back," Sam replied, a bit shocked.

She turned around to head back to the stairs, when something caught her eye. She walked down the hall and into a room with a display of the company's past set up. And there, in the middle of a display about Sandover, encased in a protective box, were his gloves.

"You guys there?" she asked into the phone.

"Yeah," Dean said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"I got it," she told them, "Meet me on 22."

"Ok, yeah," Dean replied.

"Just take the stairs," Sam warned him after a moment.

She waited a few minutes until Sam and Dean appeared around the corner and made their way over to her.

"Whoa that's a lot of blood," she heard Dean say as she glanced over at Sam to see him sprayed with blood. Well, now she knew what happened in the elevator.

"Yeah, I know," Sam grumbled.

"In there," she pointed to the case, drawing their attention back to the topic at hand, "P. T. Sandover's gloves. How much you wanna bet there's a little smidge of DNA in there? You know, like a fingernail clipping or a hair or two? Something," she glanced at them, "So, you ready?"

"I have no idea," Dean admitted.

"Me neither," Sam agreed.

Michelle just shook her head, taking the bag of weapons from Dean and handing them both a poker, Sam the salt and Dean the matches. Neither boy had wanted to touch the guns she had shown them…providing her with much fuel to later tease them with.

"Go for it," Michelle nodded at the glass.

Dean took a breath before smashing the case. Sandover's ghost suddenly appeared behind him, flinging him into the wall, causing him to drop his poker and matches. Sam quickly flung some salt at him making him disappear.

"Nice," Dean commented, getting up, only to have Sandover appear behind him once more.

"Dean!" Sam called, tossing his own poker over. Dean caught it and swung through Sandover, forcing him to disappear again, "Nice catch."

"Right?" Dean smirked.

"Good job," Michelle smiled at them. So far she hadn't had to step in. She figured if she could get them to complete the hunt it might make them remember, she was trying to interfere as little as possible.

Sam walked over and picked up the poker Dean had dropped, when Sandover appeared between them, this time they both hit him with their pokers. He appeared behind Dean, who turned, and then Sam, who also turned, each now facing away from each other. Then he appeared between them, throwing them into opposite walls before Michelle could even react. He started walking towards Dean, hands sparking.

"Get the gloves!" Michelle shouted at Sam, running over towards the ghost, firing her rock salt bullets at him. He disappeared, but kept reappearing on his march towards Dean. Sam quickly grabbed the gloves and managed to set them alight, watching as Sandover burst into flames and disappeared for good.

"That was _amazing_," Sam said, dropping the gloves.

"Right?" Dean asked, excited, "Right?"

Michelle shook her head at their enthusiasm and went to help Dean up. She winced looking at the cuts on his face, "Come on, we should get you guys cleaned up."

"I've got a first aid kit in my office," Dean remarked, leading the way.

~8~

"Man, I gotta tell you," Dean smiled as they leaned against his desk, Michelle working on their cuts, "I've _never_ had so much fun in my life."

"Me neither," Sam agreed, flinching a bit as Michelle cleaned his wound.

"Was a hell of a workout too, wasn't it?"

"We should keep doing this."

"I know."

Michelle smiled, sensing a breakthrough about to happen. Maybe they _finally_ realized what was going on!

"I mean it," Sam insisted, "There gotta be other ghosts out there. We could help a lot of people."

"Right, we'd be like the GhostFacers," Dean laughed.

"You'd be _much_ better than the GhostFaces, believe me," Michelle scoffed.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "We'd be the real deal."

"What?" Dean looked between the two, "Like, quit our jobs and hit the road?"

"Exactly," Michelle smiled.

"How would we live?" Dean frowned.

"Uh…" Sam trailed.

"With stolen credit cards," Michelle answered, "Eating diner food drenched in saturated fats. Sharing crap motel rooms every night."

"You gotta be kidding me," Dean raised an eyebrow.

"That's how most Hunters do it," she shrugged.

"That's all just details," Sam tried to wave it off.

"Details are everything," Dean countered, "You don't wanna go fighting ghosts without any health insurance."

Michelle snorted, "Fake insurance cards."

Sam sighed, seeing that this wasn't going as well as he hoped, "Confession."

"What?" Dean looked at him, along with Michelle, who had gone to tend Dean's wounds.

"Remember those dreams I told you about with the ghosts?" he asked, Dean nodded as Michelle just remained silent, "I was fighting them…with you. The _two_ of you. We were these, like, Hunters, and we were friends," he looked at Dean, "You and I, we were more like brothers, really. I mean, what if Michelle's right? What if _that's_ who we _really_ are? You saw us back there, working together. The ghost was scrambling brains. What if it scrambled ours?"

"Thank you!" Michelle exclaimed, at least _one _of them got it that something was wrong here.

"That's insane," Dean deadpanned.

"Is it?" Michelle countered, "Think about it for just one second. What if you _think_ this is your life, but it's not? It's _really_ not."

"The ghost is dead and we're still standing."

"Maybe it wasn't the ghost who did the scrambling then. Maybe something else messed with you."

"Look, all I know is this isn't who we're supposed to be," Sam cut in.

"No," Dean stated firmly, "I'm Dean Smith, ok? Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo."

"When was the last time you talked to them? To any of them?"

"Ok, you're upset. You're upset, confused…"

"Look I only moved here 'cause I just broke up with my fiancé, Mi…" Sam stopped suddenly, glancing at Michelle, "Michelle…" he frowned, he remembered the name but not the face, he knew deep down the woman before him was the one he loved, the fiancé in his memories, but he just couldn't make it fit, just another thing proving to him that he was right and something was wrong, "But I called her number and I got an animal hospital."

"Ok," Dean was glaring now, "What are you saying? Are you trying to say that my family isn't real? Huh? That we've been injected with fake memories? Come on."

"They're_ not _real," Michelle cut in, "Real people sure, but not your family. Bobby and Ellen aren't married, their last names aren't even Smith! Bobby Singer, Ellen and Jo Harvelle, Dean Winchester."

"All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut," Sam added as Dean opened his mouth to argue, "And I know...I _know_ that, deep down, you gotta be feeling it too. We're supposed to be something else. You're not just some corporate douchebag. This isn't you. I _know_ you."

"Know me?" Dean stared incredulously, "You don't know me, pal. You should go," he turned his glare on Michelle, "You both should."

With a huff and a smack on the back of Dean's head, Michelle turned and left the room, Sam leaving moments later.

~8~

Michelle stood outside the company, leaning against the Impala, just waiting. She could see the look in both Sam and Dean's eyes last night. It wouldn't be long before they were both quitting, walking out those doors, looking for her to take them on their next hunt…or…they'd remember and Dean would come storming out the doors, demanding the keys to the Impala.

Either one was fine with her.

It wasn't long before Sam walked out of the building, holding the poker he'd had last night, dragging a mangled telephone behind it.

"I quit," he told her as he walked right up to her.

"I kinda figured," she nodded towards the phone.

He dropped the poker, phone and all, "So what do we do now?"

"Now we wait for Dean," she shrugged.

He gave her a look of disbelief, he didn't think that Dean would be all that willing to ditch his job and hit the road judging by what he'd said last night. But regardless, he leaned against the car as well, just waiting.

A few minutes later everything changed. It seemed like the color had disappeared, dimmed a bit. The people around them froze and the air took on a more dead feel.

"What?" Sam asked, looking around, "What happened? Michelle, where are we? Where's Dean?"

She looked back at Sam, seeing that he had his old look and feel about him. He remembered again.

"Shit!" she replied, realizing what was going on, who had messed with the boys' memories and managed to freeze time, "Come on!"

She grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards the building, and up the stairs. They ran up them and over to where Dean's office was.

Michelle stopped for a moment, hearing voices inside. She turned to Sam, stopping him, holding up a finger to keep him quiet.

"…prove to you that the path you're on is _truly_ in your blood," someone said to Dean, "You and your brother are _Hunters_. Not because your dad made you, not because you got released from Hell, but because it _is_ what you are. And you love it. You find your way to it in the dark _every single time_ and you're miserable without it. Dean, let's be real here. You're _good_ at this. You'll be successful. You _will _stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean replied, "The Apocalypse, huh? Lucifer? What? Be specific, man."

"You'll do everything you're destined to do," he replied, making Michelle frown, "All of it. But I know, I know. You're not strong enough. You're scared. You got daddy issues. You can't do it. Right?"

"Angel or not, I will stab you in your face," Dean retorted, Michelle almost snorted, that was the Dean she knew.

"All I'm saying is, it's how you look at it," he countered, "Most folks live and die without moving more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to _change _things. Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a _curse_. It's a _gift_. So for God's sakes, Dean, quit _whining_ about it. Look around. There are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?"

Just then the door to the office flew open and Michelle walked in, "That's enough Zachariah."

"Ah, Michelle," he turned in his seat to face her, "I was wondering when you'd manage to track these boys down."

"What do you think you are doing?" she glared at him, "I asked _Castiel_ how I might be able to prove to them that they were meant to be Hunters. I did _not_ ask for _your_ help in the matter."

"Regardless of whether or not you asked, I have succeeded," he grinned, "That was the whole point of this little ordeal wasn't it?"

"Leave. Now," she ground out through clenched teeth.

The angel glared at her a moment before disappearing, the world springing back to life.

"We have to go before any of the employees start asking questions," she said to them as they both opened their mouth to question her.

Once they were outside, Dean furiously ripped off his tie, "What the hell was _that_?"

"That was Zachariah," she replied, "He's almost as bad as Uriel. He's more annoying, too."

"Great," Dean rolled his eyes, another angel to deal with, "Gimme the keys."

Michelle looked over to see Dean holding up his hand for her to toss him the keys of the Impala. She smirked, "You sure you want_ this _car? I mean, there's a pretty sweet Prius in the garage and…"

"Keys. Now," Dean demanded, a 'no fooling around' expression on his face.

Michelle tossed the keys to Dean, smiling, as Sam laughed.

A/N: Has anyone ever watched Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist on youtube? They have this one thing where Achmed makes fun of Jeff for driving a Prius, that was _all_ I could think about writing that last part lol.

But...I'm really excited for the next chapter, Chuck! Gotta love Chuck :)


	19. The Monster at the End of This Book

The Monster at the End of This Book

Sam, Dean, and Michelle made their way to the local comic book store, dressed in their FBI suits. They paused in the doorway, looking around for a moment before heading over to the man behind the counter and taking out their badges.

"Uh...can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Sure hope so," Dean smiled charmingly, "Agents DeYoung, Panozzo, and Shaw. Just need to ask you a few questions."

"Notice anything strange in the building, last couple of days?" Michelle continued.

"Like what?" the man replied.

"Well, some other tenants reported flickering lights," Sam suggested.

"I don't think so," he shook his head, "Why?"

"What about noises? Any skittering in the walls? Kind of like rats?"

"And the FBI is investigating a _rodent_ problem?" he asked skeptically.

"What about cold spots?" Sam continued as Michelle just shook her head into her palm, they _really _needed to work on their subtlety, "Feel any sudden drops in temperature?"

The man behind the counter suddenly grinned, "I knew it! You guys are LARPing, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" Dean frowned in confusion.

"You're fans."

"Fans of what?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"Like you don't know," the man scoffed.

"What is 'LARPing?'" Sam asked.

"Live Action Role Play," Michelle answered. The boys just stared at her, "What? There was one time I had to break up an anime LARP dance on a hunt…" they still stared, "Don't ask."

The man laughed, "Gotta say you are pretty hard-core players."

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about," Dean still seemed confused.

"You're asking questions like the building's haunted," the guy laughed, "Like those guys from the books. What are they called? Uh...'Supernatural.' Two guys and a girl, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh...Steve, Dirk, and Millie? Uh, Sal, Dane, and Murielle?"

"Sam, Dean and Michelle?" Sam supplied as the trio looked at each other.

"That's it!" he snapped his fingers, "Well, I _think_. I mean that Michelle chick didn't appear till the third series, gotta tell you too much of a 'Adding a Cousin Oliver' for my taste."

"You're saying this is a _book_?" Michelle said slowly, not sure if she should be offended or not, not too sure what was going on either.

"Book_s_," he corrected, "It was a _series_. Didn't sell a lot of copies, though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following," he walked over to a table with bargain books on it, the trio following, "Let's see. Um...ah. Yeah…" he handed the book over to Dean, "That's the first one, I think."

"'Supernatural,' by Carver Edlund," Dean read the cover before flipping it over to read the back, "'Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths...'"

"Give me that," Sam grabbed the book from his brother, "We're gonna need all the copies of 'Supernatural' you've got."

"Oh I _cannot wait _for this," Michelle smirked. She'd been told about the boys various hunts before she'd joined them, but _hearing_ about it as a vague mention was _not_ the same as getting _all _the details.

This would be fun.

~8~

That night in the motel room the trio were trying to find out whatever they could about this Carver Edlund and the books. Dean was reclining on the bed, flipping through a book and frowning, while Michelle sat on the couch, intently reading through the first series. Sam was on his laptop at the table.

"This is freakin' insane," Dean commented, "How's this guy know all this stuff?"

"You got me," Sam replied.

"Everything is in here," Dean shook his head, "I mean _everything_. From the racist truck to…to me having sex. I'm full-frontal in here, dude," he got up and walked over to Sam, "How come we haven't heard of them before?"

"Because we stop at comic book stores or books stores in general _all_ the time," Michelle answered sarcastically.

"They're pretty obscure," Sam added, "I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one, 'No Rest For The Wicked,'" he moved the laptop for Dean to see a list of the books, "Ends with you going to Hell and Michelle disappearing."

"I reiterate," Dean checked around the site, "Freaking insane. But check this out. There's actually _fans_. There's not many of them, but still. Did you _read_ this?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot," Dean smirked, "Listen to this, Simpatico says 'the demon story line is trite, clichéd, and overall craptastic.' Yeah, well, screw you, Simpatico. We _lived_ it."

Michelle laughed, getting up to look at the site with Dean, "It gets better," Michelle laughed, crossing her arms and resting them on the back of his shoulders to read the site, "There are 'Sam girls' and 'Dean girls' and Canonites and Non-Canonites…"

"Which are?" Dean trailed, looking at her.

"Canon follows a story line the author has started or intended," Sam replied, "Like…writing a story about Han Solo and Princess Leia."

"Right," Michelle nodded, "And Non-Canon would be if someone wanted to write about Princess Leia and…Lando, for example. Not exactly what Lucas intended."

"What's a 'slash fan?'" Dean squinted at the computer.

"As in...Sam-Slash-Dean," Michelle tried not to snort.

"Together," Sam added.

"Like, _together _together?" Dean was quickly growing disgusted.

"Yeah," Michelle nodded.

"They _do_ know we're brothers, right?" Dean looked at his brother.

"Doesn't seem to matter," Sam shook his head.

"Oh, _come on_," Dean shut the laptop in disgust, "That...that's just _sick_. We _got _to find this Carver Edlund."

"Ah, that might not be so easy," Sam said, turning the laptop back to him.

"Why not?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"No tax records, no known address."

"So 'Carver Edlund' is a pen name?" Michelle guessed.

"Well, somebody's gotta know who he is," Dean huffed.

~8~

The next day they managed to track down the publisher of the 'Supernatural' books, if anyone might have an idea who the author was, it would be the publisher. They were not at all surprised to find a young woman was the publisher. She seemed to be _very_ excited at the prospect of getting the word out there about the series but also a bit nervous.

"So you published the 'Supernatural' books?" Sam asked.

"Yep," she replied quickly, "Yeah. Gosh. These books...you know, they never really got the attention they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that romance crap. You know…'Doctor Sexy, M.D.?' Please."

"Well, we're hoping that our article can...shine a light on an underappreciated series," Michelle smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press then maybe we could start publishing again!" her eyes widened with excitement.

"Oh no, no, no God, no," Dean jumped in, frantic, "I mean, why…why would you want to do that? You know, it's, uh, such a complete series, what with Dean going to Hell and all."

"My God!" she cried, suddenly emotional, "That was one of my _favorite _ones, because Michelle and Sam tried _so hard_ to save him and Dean was so...strong...and sad and brave. And Michelle was so strong and fierce…I personally don't believe the theories that she's a demon who only joined the Winchesters to ensure Dean went to Hell before disappearing."

"There are theories about what?" Michelle asked, almost offended.

But then she had to remind herself, the readers didn't know _she'd_ been the one to go to Hell instead of Dean. As far as they knew, she just up and left Sam or disappeared or something along those lines. In that sense, yeah, she supposed it could been seen like that. Especially since no one really knew about how her powers worked, the reader could very well think she saw demons because she _was_ one.

"And Sam..." the woman continued, not having heard her, "I mean, the best parts are when they'd cry. You know, like in…in 'Heart,' when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved," Sam shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Michelle, looking back on it, he didn't_ truly_ think he loved Madison, not now that he knew what _real _love felt like, "And in 'Home,' when Dean had to call John and ask him for help," she turned away from them, trying to control herself, "Gosh...if only real men were so open and in…in touch with their feelings."

"_Real_ men?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, no offense. How often do you cry like that, hmm?"

"Well, right now, I'm crying on the inside."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" she glared.

"Lady, this whole thing is funny."

"How do I know you three are legit, hmm?" she asked, now getting suspicious.

"Oh, trust me," Dean smiled charmingly, "We, uh...we're legit."

"Well, I don't want any smartass article making fun of my girl and my boys," she defended the fictional characters.

"No!" Sam stammered, "No…"

"No, that's…" Dean tried.

"We are actually _big_ fans," Michelle assured her.

"You've read the books?" she eyed them.

"Cover-to-cover," Dean smirked.

"What's the year and model of the car?" she tested.

"1967 Chevy Impala."

"What's May 2nd?"

"That's my…uh...that's _Sam's _birthday," Sam answered.

"January 24th is Dean's," Dean added.

"Michelle's is November 17th," Michelle supplied.

"Michelle's favorite snack?"

"Pringles," Michelle answered.

"Sam's score on the LSAT?"

"1…" Sam looked at them a bit lost, not really remembering for a moment, "174."

"Dean's favorite song?"

"It's a tie," Dean said, "Between Zep's 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues.'"

"What was Michelle's Christmas gift to Sam and Dean?"

"A coupon book for Dean," Michelle smiled, "And a sketch of Dean in reindeer antlers for Sam."

"Ok, ok," the publisher replied, now convinced they meant the characters no harm, "What do you want to know?"

"What's Carver Edlund's real name?" Sam tried.

"Oh, no," she shook her head, "No. I'm sorry, I can't."

"We just want to talk to him," Michelle insisted, "You know, get the 'Supernatural' story in his own words."

"He's _very _private. It's like Salinger."

"Please," Sam looked at the other two, sighing, "Like we said…we are, um..." he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his demon protection tattoo, "...big..._big_ fans."

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's look and pulled his shirt to reveal his own tattoo. Michelle turned around and lifted her shirt just a bit to reveal hers as well.

"Awesome," the woman smirked, "You know what?" she turned around and started to hike up her skirt. Michelle and Sam turned their gaze away while Dean just smiled, "I got one too."

"Whoa, you _are_ a fan," he nodded appreciatively, till Michelle elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ok," the publisher breathed, walking over to her desk and scribbling something on a paper, "His name is Chuck Shurley, and he's a _genius_, so _don't_ piss him off," she ripped the paper out of the pad and handed it to Dean.

~8~

They pulled up to a rundown sort of house about a half hour later, got out of the Impala, and moved up to the door. They shared a look before shrugging, Dean pushed the doorbell. They only waited a minute before the door was open to reveal a small man with a beard, wearing a bathrobe.

"You Chuck Shurley?" Sam asked.

"The Chuck Shurley who wrote the 'Supernatural' books?" Michelle added.

"Maybe…" he replied slowly, looking at the trio, "Why?"

"I'm Dean," Dean introduced, "This is Sam, and that's Michelle. _The_ Sam, Dean, and Michelle you've been writing about."

"Look, uh...I appreciate your enthusiasm," Chuck said nervously, "Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans. But, uh, for your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life," he went to shut the door but Dean stopped him.

"See, here's the thing," Dean glared, "We _have_ a life. You've been using it to write your books."

"Hey now, wait a minute," Chuck called as Dean shoved his way into the house, "This isn't funny!"

"Damn straight, it's not funny."

"Look, we just want to know how you're doing it," Sam replied.

Michelle frowned, blinking a bit as she looked somewhere behind Chuck.

"I'm not doing anything," he insisted.

"Are you a Hunter?" Dean asked.

"What?" he laughed, "No. I'm a _writer_."

"Then how do you know so much about demons? And Tulpas? And changelings?"

"Is this some kind of 'Misery' thing?" he grew concerned, "Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a 'Misery' thing!"

"No, it's not a 'Misery' thing! Believe me, we are _not _fans!"

"Well, then, what do you want?!" Chuck cried out.

"I'm Sam and that's Dean," Sam said, "And that's Michelle."

He shook his head, "Sam, Dean and Michelle are _fictional characters_. I _made them up_! They're _not real_!"

"Fine," Dean replied, grabbing Chuck's arm and pulling him out of the house and over to the Impala. As soon as he opened the trunk, Chuck paled, absolutely convinced they were about to kidnap him. But when Dean lifted the false bottom to show the arsenal beneath, he was shocked.

"Are those real guns?" he asked.

"Yup," Michelle smiled, popping her p and pointing out some various items, "This is real rock salt, these are real fake I.D.s."

"Well, I got to hand it to you guys," Chuck backed away, still very nervous, "You really are my number one fans. That's…that's awesome. So, I…I think I've got some posters in the house..."

"Chuck wait," Michelle stepped up.

He flinched, "Please don't hurt me."

"Nice one Dean," she glared the man before turning to Chuck. She slowly placed a hand on his shoulder, "We're _not_ going to hurt you…or at least _I _won't. And I promise, I won't let _them_ hurt you either."

Chuck looked up at her from between his hands, "And since you're supposed to be Michelle, you don't break your promises right?" he asked, hopeful.

"Right," she smiled.

He lowered his arms, smiling a bit as well, now more comfortable and calm.

"How much do you know?" Sam asked, not moving towards the man in fear of scaring him again, "Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking the seals?"

"Wait a minute," Chuck frowned, "How do _you _know about that?"

"The question is, how do _you_ know?" Dean replied.

"Because I wrote it?" he shrugged.

"You kept writing?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, even after the publisher went bankrupt, but those books never came out. Ok, wait a minute. This is some kind of joke, right? Did that…did Phil put you up to this?"

"Well, nice to meet you," Dean said seriously, "That's Michelle Davidson, I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam."

"The last names were never in the books," Chuck's eyes widened, "I _never_ told _anyone_ about that. I never even wrote them down."

~8~

Chuck poured himself a large glass of whiskey and quickly gulped it down, setting it in the sink. He turned around to see the trio standing there and groaned, "Oh, you're still here."

"Yup," Dean nodded.

"You're not a hallucination."

"Nope," Michelle shook her head sadly.

"Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god."

"You're _not_ a god," Sam reassured him.

"How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, _cruel_, capricious god. The things I put you through…the physical beatings alone…"

"Yeah, we're still in one piece," Dean shrugged.

"I killed your father," Chuck frowned, "I burned your mother alive. And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica…" he looked at Sam, then to Michelle, "I killed your parents in a car accident, I sent you to Hell to take Dean's place, I had you torture Alastair…"

"Chuck..." Michelle began.

"All for what?" he stared at them in horror, "All for the sake of _literary symmetry_. I toyed with your lives," he glanced at Michelle and Sam before looking down, "Your emotions, for...entertainment."

"You didn't toy with us, Chuck, ok?" Sam tried to reason, "You didn't create us."

"Did you really have to live through the bugs?" he looked up.

"Yeah," Dean replied.

"What about the ghost ship?"

"Yes, that too."

"I am _so _sorry," he apologized, "I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing...if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass."

"Chuck, you're not a god!"

"We think you're probably just psychic," Sam added.

"Or a prophet," Michelle shrugged. The three for them stared at her in skepticism, "Just saying…"

"No," Chuck shook his head, "If I were psychic, you think I'd be _writing_? Writing is _hard_."

"It seems that somehow, you're just...focused on our lives," Sam explained.

"Yeah, like laser-focused," Dean nodded, "Are you working on anything right now?"

"Holy crap!" his eyes widened considerably.

"What?" Michelle frowned.

"The, uh, latest book?" he picked up a few papers lying on his desk, "It's, uh, it's kind of weird."

"'Weird' how?" Sam asked.

"It's very Vonnegut."

"'Slaughterhouse-Five' Vonnegut or 'Cat's Cradle' Vonnegut?" Dean asked intently.

Both Sam and Michelle looked at him, surprised, "What?" they had _no idea_ he even knew who Vonnegut was let alone read the books.

"What?" he said defensively.

"It's, uh, 'Kilgore Trout' Vonnegut," Chuck mumbled, "I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house...confronted by my characters."

~8~

The trio was in the Laundromat that night, still trying to take in everything they'd learned about Chuck and trying to make sense of it all. Sam was doing laundry, Dean and Michelle sat nearby, Dean reading Chuck's newest manuscript, while Michelle read through the copy of books Chuck had given her to catch up on Sam and Dean's adventures before her.

"I'm sitting in a Laundromat, reading about myself sitting in a Laundromat, reading about myself..." Dean said, "My head hurts."

Michelle absently reached out and patted his back.

"There's got to be something this guy's not telling us," Sam remarked, tossing his darks into the machine.

"'Sam tossed his gigantic darks into the machine,'" Dean read, "'He was starting to have doubts about Chuck, about whether he was telling the whole truth.'"

"Stop it," Sam said.

"''Stop it,' Sam said,'" Dean smirked, "Guess what you do next," Sam turned away, scowling, "'Sam turned his back on Dean, his face brooding and pensive.' I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your 'brooding and pensive' shoulders," Sam sighed, "You just thought I was a dick."

"The guy's good," Sam replied.

Dean just looked offended.

Michelle laughed at that, "The _best_."

"'Michelle burst out laughing at the bickering between brothers,'" Dean read, "'The best.'"

~8~

The next morning, they were back in Chuck's house, watching him pace nervously before them, holding more papers in his hands.

"Are you alright Chuck?" Michelle asked, concerned at how frazzled he seemed.

He just waved the papers around.

"So you wrote another chapter?" Sam shook his head.

"This was all so much easier _before_ you were real," Chuck told them.

"We can take it, just spit it out," Dean leaned back.

"You especially are not gonna like this," Chuck looked at him, glancing a bit at Michelle, both knew it wouldn't be good.

"I didn't like Hell," Michelle commented, shrugging. After what she'd lived through, what she'd survived, was surviving…she could deal with it.

"It's Lilith," he sighed, "She's coming for Sam."

"Coming to kill him?" Dean frowned.

"When?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Tonight," Chuck said, his eyes on Michelle, who was frowning in thought. From what he'd written about her, she was currently figuring out_ exactly_ why she and Dean wouldn't like his news. The way he'd said it, it was_ worse_ than _just _Lilith coming.

"She's just gonna show up?" Dean repeated, "_Here_?"

"She's not here to kill Sam is she?" Michelle asked quietly.

The brothers looked at her for a moment, knowing she was usually right about things like this, and turned to Chuck to see him nod sadly.

"Uh...let's see, uh…" he cleared his throat to read his manuscript, "'Lilith patted the bed seductively. Unable to deny his desire, Sam succumbed, and they sank into the throes of fiery demonic passion.'"

Sam laughed, "You're _kidding me_, right?"

"You think this is _funny_?" Dean turned to glare at his brother.

"You _don't_?" Sam laughed again, "I mean, _come on_. 'Fiery demonic passion?'"

"It's just a first draft," Chuck mumbled.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, Lilith is a little girl," Dean shook his head.

"No, uh, this time she's a…'comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana,'" Chuck read.

"Great," Dean rolled his eyes, "Perfect. So what happens after the 'fiery demonic' whatever?"

"I don't know, it hasn't come to me yet."

"Dean, look, there's _nothing_ to worry about," Sam stood, trying to calm his brother, "Lilith and _me_? In _bed_?"

"I uh…I have to agree," Michelle said quietly, "I mean…" she sighed, "Ruby is one thing, but Sam's been gung-ho to off Lilith since _before_ you went to Hell…do you _really_ think he'd slip into bed with her? Unless it was some clever ploy to get her defenses down and then stab her or something."

"That's _exactly _what I'm worried about," Dean told her, "Ruby is one thing and she's not as high up the chain as Lilith, imagine what _Lilith_ could do."

"Dean!" Sam shouted, offended.

"How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?" Dean demanded from Chuck, still glaring at Sam.

"You mean my process?" Chuck tilted his head.

"Yes, your 'process,'" Dean scoffed.

"Well, it usually starts with a headache. A _really bad _headache. Aspirin is useless, so...I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream."

"The first time you dreamt about us?" Michelle asked.

"It flowed. It just, it _kept _flowing. Still does. I…I can't stop it, really."

"You can't seriously believe…" Sam began, but Dean cut him off.

"Humor me," Dean stood up as Chuck held out the manuscript for him, "Look, why don't we…we just...take a look at these and see what's what…you," he turned to Chuck, eyeing the papers being held out to him.

"...knew you were gonna ask for that," Chuck grinned a bit.

~8~

Dean was driving the Impala, Sam sitting next to him, reading the latest chapter Chuck had given them. Michelle was in the backseat, finishing up the last of the books.

"Dean, come on," Sam scoffed, before reading from the papers, "'The minivan accident wasn't that bad, but Dean was still seeing stars. He scratched absently at the pink flower band-aids on his face.'"

"So?" Dean replied.

"We've seen you gushing blood," Michelle laughed, "You'd use _duct tape_ and _bar rags_ before you'd put on a _pink flower band-aid_."

"What's your point?" Dean glanced at Sam and Michelle.

"My point is this…all of this…is…is totally implausible, it's _nuts_," Sam finished.

"He's been right about _everything _so far. You think he's just gonna ground out at first now?"

Sam just scoffed and continued to read, "'Dean slid behind the wheel of his beloved Impala and drove off, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow.'"

This time Dean _did _look skeptical, "A _tarp_?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "On the rear window. And you _drive _it like that."

"He _might_ be wrong about the details. But doesn't mean he's wrong about the end result."

"Or maybe he's right about the details," Michelle countered, "But the end result isn't what we think it is."

Dean glanced at her through the rearview mirror. He could see the signs clear as day. She wasn't so much arguing along with Sam as trying to find some way to convince herself that, while Chuck seemed to be right, there _might_ be a slim chance that what he _saw_ wasn't what _actually happened_.

"So we're just gonna run?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, we are a long way from ready for a face-to-face death match with Lilith," Dean answered, cursing under his breath when they came to a roadblock with a deputy standing there, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Bridge is out ahead," the deputy replied.

"We're just trying to get out of town," Dean smiled.

"Yeah, afraid not."

"Is there a detour?"

"Nope."

"There's not a side road that takes us to the highway?"

"To get to the highway, you have to cross that river," he nodded over his shoulder, "To cross the river, you have to take that bridge."

Dean waited a moment, glancing at the river, "How deep's the river?"

Michelle and Sam both laughed at that.

"Sorry," the deputy tipped his hat, "Afraid you're gonna have to spend the night in town."

~8~

Sitting in the diner, Dean was now reading the manuscript, while Sam and Michelle looked over the menu.

"Hey, this could be a good thing," Dean said after a moment, "I mean, if _this _is what puts us on the path to Lilith, then all we got to do is get off the path."

"How do you mean?" Sam looked up.

"It's a blueprint of what not to do. I mean, if the pages say that we go left…"

"Then we go right," Michelle nodded, following along.

"Exactly," Dean threw down the papers, "We get off-book. We never make it to the end. It's opposite day. It says that we, uh, we get into a fight. So, no fighting. No research for either of you..."

"No bacon cheeseburger for you," Sam smirked.

"Yeah, no problem," Dean frowned, "I'll just order something else," the waitress walked over to them, "Hi, uh, what's good?"

"Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country," she smiled.

"Really?" Dean asked, strained.

"I'll just have the Cobb Salad, please," Sam smiled.

"I'll have turkey club," Michelle added.

"I'll have the...veggie tofu burger," Dean ordered, actually looking physically _pained _to say it, "Thanks."

She took the menus and walked off.

"This whole thing's ridiculous," Sam continued when the waitress was far enough away.

"Lilith is ridiculous?" Dean asked incredulously.

"I think he means the idea of him hooking up with her is ridiculous," Michelle replied.

"Right," Dean rolled his eyes, "'Cause something like _that _can _never_ happen," he glared at Sam but softened his gaze when he saw Michelle flinch at his words. For all her bravado and the mask she wore whenever she had to face Ruby or hear about her or anything else related to the demon, she really _wasn't_ doing too well dealing with the fact that the man she loved had chosen a _demon _over her.

Sam began to scowl, not sure if it was from Dean's words directed at him or the hurtful effect they had on Michelle, "Dean, for the first time, we have warning that Lilith is close."

"So?" Dean shook his head.

"So...we've got the jump on her. If we know when she's coming, we know where she is…this is an _opportunity_."

"Are you…" Dean cut himself off, trying so hard _not_ to get angry and start a fight, "It frustrates me when you say such reckless things."

"Well, it frustrates me when you'd rather hide than fight."

"And it frustrates me when you both act like dicks," Michelle cut in, "I mean _seriously_. You're going to argue about _demons_ in the middle of a _diner_?!"

She really wasn't frustrated about _that_, it was more that Sam really _was_ acting reckless, the way he was talking, it didn't sound like _Sam_. Usually he was the one who wanted a plan and research and to be prepared, but now he was ready to charge ahead, half-assed, and probably get himself killed by Lilith in the process. It wasn't like him to be so overconfident, he usually second guessed himself among other things.

"Cobb salad for you," the waitress appeared, putting Sam's plate down, "A turkey club for you…and the tofu veggie burger for you."

"Thank you," Dean smiled at her as she walked off, "It's not hiding. It's being _smart_. It's picking your battles. And this is a battle that we are _not_ ready to fight," he took a huge bite of his burger, his eyes widening in surprise, "Oh, my God. This is _delicious_. Tofu is _amazing_!"

"I am so sorry," the waitress appeared again, flustered, taking Dean's plate from him, "I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake."

Michelle snorted in laughter while Sam just scowled.

~8~

Dean decided that, since they were stuck in the town, there was no way they were staying at the Red Motel, especially not when they saw that it was the place Lilith would find Sam. So now they were pulling up to the Toreador Motel.

"Dude, this place charges by the _hour_," Sam complained.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel," Dean countered, "Hence, the uh, hooker inn."

Michelle laughed at that, "It's opposite day, remember?"

Dean got out and led the way to their room, dropping a bag on the bed and pulling out various items out. He grabbed a few small pouches and tossed some to Michelle, "Put them over there," he ordered, placing his own bags on his side of the room.

"What are you doing?" Sam raised an eyebrow, watching his brother and Michelle get to work.

"Couple of hex bags ought to Lilith-proof the room."

"So, what?" Sam shook his head in disbelief, "I'm supposed to just hole up here, all night?"

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, ok?" Dean turned to him, "And no research. I don't care what you do…use the magic fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View," he nodded at Michelle, who quickly pulled Sam's laptop out of his bag, holding it to her chest.

"Oh, _come on_!" Sam scoffed.

"Just call it a little insurance," Dean smirked, walking over to Michelle.

"What are you gonna do?" he looked between the two.

"Well, the pages say that I spend all day riding around in the Impala. So I'm gonna go park her. Behave yourself, would you?"

"No homework," Michelle wiggled the laptop before him.

"Watch some porn," Dean smiled, pleased with himself, before leaving with Michelle, letting Sam fume in the room.

They drove around for a few minutes before Michelle pointed out an empty lot. Dean pulled in, parked, got out, and made sure to lock the doors. He nodded at Michelle before heading across the street.

A moment later Michelle glanced back, her eyes widening, "Dean!"

He spun around to see two teenagers trying to break into his car, "Hey!" he shouted, running towards them.

"Dean!" Michelle called just as a minivan careened towards him, hitting him, knocking him to the ground as Michelle ran over to him.

~8~

Back in the motel room, Sam opened the door to reveal Chuck standing there, fidgeting, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," Sam he mumbled, opening the door for Chuck to enter and then shutting it quickly behind him, "Thanks for coming."

"Ah, sure."

"Um...I was just wondering how much you know," Sam sat down at the table, "About me."

"What do you mean?" Chuck frowned.

"Have you seen visions of me? When I'm not with Dean or Michelle?

"Oh..." he nodded in realization, "You want to know if I know about the demon blood."

"You didn't tell them."

"I didn't even write it into the books. I was afraid it would make you look unsympathetic."

"Unsympathetic?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, come on, Sam," Chuck shook his head the man sitting before him, "I mean, sucking blood? You _got to _know that's wrong."

"It scares the hell out of me," Sam shuddered, "I mean, I feel it inside of me. I...I wish to God I could stop."

"But you keep going back."

"What choice have I got?" Sam said, frustrated, "If it helps me kill Lilith and stop the Apocalypse…"

"But that's _Dean's _job," Chuck argued softly, "That's what the angels say, right?"

"Dean's not...he's not _Dean_ lately," Sam shook his head, "Ever since we found out about how Michelle had been in Hell, he's been focused on her, he's so _worried_ about her."

"Aren't _you_?" Chuck frowned.

"Of course I am," Sam half-shouted, almost offended, "But she won't _let_ me help her! She keeps forcing me away. Why?"

Chuck frowned, "Sam…she knows…"

"About the blood!?" Sam's eyes widened. How had she found out? He'd made sure to only drink the demon blood when alone with Ruby. He'd been getting stronger, strong enough to kill Lilith probably...but he'd been so careful...

Chuck shook his head, "Well...she…she's _suspicious_. She's worried. She's confused. She's hurt, especially. She ugh…she wasn't asleep when Ruby came to visit you that one time you were dealing with those magicians."

"She wasn't?"

"No. She's trying to figure it out, figure out why you're so…different. And she has, she _knows_…but she's trying to come up with some other reason. She doesn't want to admit that you've gone down that path. But, subconsciously, she knows you have and she's trying to push you away so later…if she has to stop you…it won't hurt as much."

"Stop me?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Remember her powers Sam?"

Sam shook his head frantically, "I just want to take care of them, stop Lilith, and then I'll stop."

"Sure you can," Chuck mumbled.

"What?" Sam looked up.

"Maybe the demon blood makes you_ feel _stronger? More in control?"

"No," Sam shook his head, seeing where Chuck was going. He was trying to make this out to be that he was addicted to the blood, "That's not true."

"I'm sorry, Sam," Chuck sighed, sitting down on the bed across from Sam, "I know it's a terrible burden…feeling that it all rests on your shoulders."

"Does it?" Sam asked, "All rest on my shoulders?"

"That seems to be where the story's headed," Chuck admitted.

"Am I strong enough to stop Lilith tonight?" Sam asked seriously. He could tell from Chuck's tone that he felt like the end of the story wouldn't be a good one. If he could end it sooner, he could stop using and, maybe, win Dean and Michelle back.

"I don't know," Chuck shook his head, "I haven't seen that far yet."

~8~

Dean was slowly starting to wake up, still lying in the middle of the road. He could see Michelle kneeling over him, along with another woman, with very long, dangling star-shaped earrings.

"Oh my God," the woman breathed, seeing him alive.

"Just take it easy," Michelle told him, "You're gonna be ok."

"Stars…" Dean mumbled, frowning at the star earrings.

"What was that?" the woman asked as he blinked and began to sit up, "I'm _so _sorry. I just didn't see you. Are you ok? And sorry about...you know…" she nodded at her daughter, standing behind her, "My daughter's going through a doctor phase."

"What are you talking about?" Dean frowned.

Michelle laughed just a bit, "You're 'all better' now."

Dean reached up and felt a few small band-aids on his face. He got up and walked over to a mirror, staring in horror at the pink flowery band-aids…but then the Impala caught his sight and his horror increased tenfold, the back window was smashed in.

"No..." he muttered, starting to peel off the band-aids.

"We got a tarp you can use to cover that up," the woman's husband called, "Till you get it fixed."

Dean turned to stare at the tarp in the man's hand before sighing…

And so, Dean and Michelle were forced to drive back to town, with a tarp flapping in the breeze. They decided to head to Chuck, see if he knew anything else that could help them stop Lilith. When they got there, Chuck wasn't there, so they waited. It wasn't long before he entered the house, carrying a bottle in a brown bag and a six-pack of cans. He didn't seem surprised to see them sitting there.

"Dean," Chuck greeted, "Michelle."

"I take it you knew we'd be here," Dean replied.

"You look terrible," he frowned at Dean.

"That's 'cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck."

"Oh," Chuck frowned.

"That it?" Dean stood, "Every damn thing you write about me comes true, that's _all_ you have to say to me is 'oh?!'"

"Dean!" Michelle walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulders, calming him down slightly, "It's not his fault."

"Please don't yell at me," Chuck winced, rubbing his forehead.

"Why do I get feeling there's something that you're not telling us?" Dean glared at him.

"What wouldn't I be telling you?" Chuck shook his head.

"How you know what you know, for starters!"

"I don't know how I know, I just _do_!"

"That's not _good_ enough," Dean stalked over, shoving him against a wall, "How the hell are you doing this?!"

"Dean, let him go!" Castiel ordered, appearing from nowhere. Dean quickly let Chuck go and turned to face Castiel while Michelle knelt by the shaken man to see if he was alright, "This man is to be protected."

"Why?" Dean asked.

"He's a prophet of the Lord."

Michelle shook her head, "Told ya so."

"You...you're Castiel...aren't you?" Chuck looked up at the angel in shock as Michelle helped him off the floor.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck," Castiel told him, picking up one of the 'Supernatural' books, "I...admire your work."

"Whoa, whoa, _what_?" Dean frowned, "This guy, a _prophet_? Come on, he's…he's...he's practically a 'Penthouse Forum' writer," he turned to Chuck, "Did you know about this?"

Michelle grabbed Chuck's arm tighter, helping him move over to his armchair as he stumbled. He cracked open a bottle of whiskey and poured himself some. He held it up to Michelle in offering before shaking his head and mumbling to himself, "You don't drink," and taking a large gulp before turning to Dean, "I, uh, I might have dreamt about it."

"And you didn't _tell _us?!" Dean threw his hands up.

"It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness."

Dean watched him gulping down his whiskey, Michelle sitting on the arm of the chair before turning to Castiel, "_This _is the guy who decides our fate?"

"He isn't _deciding _anything," Michelle called, earning their attention, "He's a mouthpiece…a conduit for the inspired word."

"The word?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "The word of God? What, like the new New Testament?"

"One day, these books, they'll be known as the Winchester Gospels," Castiel informed them.

"You got to be kidding me," Dean and Chuck said at once.

"I am not...kidding you," Castiel frowned.

"Thanks for kicking me out of the story guys," Michelle said jokingly, though deep down she was a bit saddened by it. Once, a long time ago, she had thought she might one day be a Winchester…but now…

"If you'd please excuse me one minute," Chuck said, getting up, clutching the bottle as he walked up stairs.

"Chuck!" Michelle called, waiting till he turned to face her before speaking, "Are you ok?"

He stared a moment before smiling and nodding. It was nice that someone was concerned about him. He then disappeared upstairs.

"_Him_?" Dean nodded at the stairs, "_Really_?"

"You should've seen Luke," Castiel remarked.

"Why'd he get tapped?"

"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command."

"How high?"

"_Very_," Michelle answered.

"Well, whatever. How do we get around this?"

"Around what?" Castiel tilted his head to the side.

"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"

"'What the prophet has written can't be unwritten,'" Michelle recited sadly, drawing their attention, "'As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass.'"

~8~

Dean had not been pleased to hear that what Chuck wrote would actually happen. But Michelle had argued that what he _saw_ might not be what was _actually happening_. It did little to reassure him, especially not when they got back to the motel to see that some letters had flickered out and the sign now read RED Motel. He shook his head, angrily getting out of the car and heading to the room with Michelle following.

"Come on," Dean said, storming into the room, "We're getting out of here."

"What?" Sam sprang up from a chair, "Where?"

"Anywhere, ok?" Dean said, grabbing his bag, "Out of this motel, out of this town. I don't care if we got to swim, we are getting out," he looked around, confused.

Michelle, seeing this, did so as well, "Where are all the hex bags?" she asked.

"I burned them," Sam admitted.

"You _what_?" Dean demanded.

"Look, if Lilith is coming, which is a big 'if…'"

"No, no, no. It's more than an 'if.'"

"Chuck's not a _psychic_," Michelle added, her heart sinking. She'd been trying _so hard_ to convince herself that Sam and Lilith weren't going to…but now, with Sam destroying the hex bags…it was almost like he _wanted _her to come, "He's a _prophet_."

"What?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Cas showed up and apparently Chuck is writing the Gospel of us," Dean told him.

"Ok," Sam nodded slowly.

"Ok," Dean agreed, "Let's get the hell out of here."

"No."

"No?" Michelle frowned.

"Lilith is gonna _slaughter _you," Dean argued.

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't," Sam shrugged.

"So what? You think you can take her?"

"Only one way to find out, Dean, and I say bring her on," Sam said firmly.

"Sam..." Michelle began slowly.

"You think I'll do it, don't you?" he stared at her in disbelief and betrayal.

"No," Michelle argued, "But I'm not sure if you'll be able to _stop_ her."

"You think I'll go dark side?" he frowned more.

"Yes!" Dean shouted, before Michelle could open her mouth to disagree, "Ok? _Yes_. The way you've been _acting _lately? The things you've been _doing_?" Sam looked up startled, Michelle also looked a bit surprised. The most she'd ever said to Dean about Sam was her concern about Ruby, "Oh, _I know_. How you ripped Alastair apart like it was nothing, like you were swatting a fly. Cas _told _me about the others, ok?"

"What_ else _did he tell you?" Sam glared.

"Nothing I don't already know," Dean glared right back, "That you've been using your psychic crap and you've been getting stronger. We just don't know _why_, and we don't know_ how_."

Sam glanced at Michelle, who was looking down, unable to even look at him in that moment.

"It's not what you think," he said, more to her than Dean, but Dean was the one to respond anyway.

"Then what is it, Sam? 'Cause I'm at a total loss," he grabbed his bag and Sam's and headed out the door, glancing at Michelle, she grabbed her own bag and walked over to him. He nodded, turning to Sam, "Are you coming or not?"

"No," he said.

Dean turned back to the door, pausing, before dropping Sam's bag and leaving, Michelle following behind. Out of the two brothers, Dean needed her more than Sam at the moment…Sam seemed to have planned at least _something_, but there was no telling what Dean would do.

She was shocked when, instead of grabbing some sort of weapon and going after Lilith himself, Dean walked over to the soda machine and dropped a coin in. He took a step back and looked over at Michelle, who had sat down on a crate, not saying anything but offering her support.

He smiled a bit, talking a breath, before turning away from her and looking up at the sky, "Well, I feel stupid doing this. But...I am fresh out of options. So please. I need some help," he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Michelle smiling at him, nodding that it was ok, that she wouldn't think less of him for doing this. He'd still be the great Dean Winchester, badass Hunter to her, whether he prayed or not. He nodded back before turning to the sky again, "I'm praying, ok? Come on. Please."

"Prayer is a sign of faith," Castiel said from behind them. They turned to face him, "This is a good thing, Dean."

"So does that mean you'll help us?" Dean asked the angel.

"I'm not sure what I can do."

"Drag Sam out of here, now. Before Lilith shows up."

"It's a prophecy," Michelle said sadly, "He _can't_ interfere."

Dean shook his head in defeat, tears in his eyes, as he looked at Castiel, "You have tested me and thrown me every which way. And I have _never_ asked for anything. Not a damn thing. But now I'm_ asking_. I need your _help_. _Please_."

"What you're asking, it's...not within _my _power to do," Castiel said, looking meaningfully at Michelle, who frowned in thought.

"Why?" Dean asked, "'Cause it's 'divine prophecy?'"

"Yes."

"So, what, we're just supposed to sit around and…and wait for it to happen?"

"I'm sorry."

"Screw you," Dean glared, "You and your mission, your God. If you don't help me now, then when the time comes and you need me...don't bother knocking."

Dean brushed past him, pulling Michelle along by the hand, when Michelle, pulled him back, "Dean…"

"What?" he snapped, turning to face her, but softened when he realized it was _Michelle_.

"You must understand why I can't intercede," Castiel called, "Prophets are very _special_. They're _protected_."

"I _get_ that," Dean nodded, looking frustrated and disappointed.

But Michelle just nodded in understanding, "If _anything_ threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat," she stated slowly, figuring something out. Dean looked between her and Castiel, seeing how the angel was smiling, he knew Michelle had just gotten them a way to save Sam, "Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're Heaven's _most terrifying_ weapon," she turned to look meaningfully at Dean, "And these archangels…they're _tied_ to _prophets_."

"Yes," Castiel nodded, encouraging them.

"So if a _prophet_ was in the same room as a _demon_…" Michelle began, glancing at Castiel.

"Then the most fearsome wrath of Heaven would rain down on that demon," Castiel finished, at the now smiling duo, "Just so you understand...why _I _can't help."

"Thanks, Cas," Dean smirked as he and Michelle quickly ran to the Impala.

"Good luck!" he shouted after them.

~8~

Chuck was sprawled out on the couch when Dean and Michelle entered, this time though, he _did _look very surprised to see them.

"What are you doing here?" he looked at them, startled, "I didn't write this."

Dean reached out and grabbed him, "Come on. We need you to come with us."

"What?" Chuck struggled, "Where?"

"To the motel where Sam is," Michelle answered.

"That's where _Lilith _is," he pulled away.

"Yeah, exactly," Dean nodded, "We need you to stop her."

"Are you insane?!" his eyes widened, "Lilith? I _know_ what she's capable of, Dean, I _wrote _her."

"Listen Chuck," Michelle said, walking over to him slowly, her hands up in peace, "You have an archangel tethered to you, _protecting_ you. All you have to do is show up and Lilith gets smoked."

"But I…I haven't seen that yet," he stuttered, "Th…the story…"

"You know what going in without knowing the ending is?" Michelle smiled lightly, "Faith."

"Chuck, you're the only shot that we've got left," Dean nearly begged.

"But...I'm just a writer," he cried.

"You're so much _more _than that Chuck," Michelle told him.

"This isn't a story anymore, man," Dean continued, "This is _real_! And you're _in _it! Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight. Come on, Chuck."

"No friggin' way," Chuck shook his head, backing up.

"Ok, well, then, how about this, I've got a gun in my pocket, and if you don't come with me, I'll blow your brains out," Dean glared.

"I thought you said I was protected by an archangel," Chuck looked at Michelle, who just looked confused.

"Well, interesting exercise," Dean smirked, "Let's see who the quicker draw is."

Chuck swallowed heavily, before nodding.

"Thank you Chuck," Michelle said quietly. Dean moved to grab him again, when Michelle stood in the way, "How about _I_ help him? We don't need you scaring him off again."

Dean glared at her before storming out of the house.

"Thank you," Chuck replied, smiling at his retreating form.

"No problem," she nodded, looping an arm through his, "Chuck?" she said, stopping him a moment, "I'd like to give you something."

Chuck's eyes widened as he seemed to know what she was talking about, "No, you don't have to…"

"No one deserves to have headaches like you do," she cut in, reaching forward to hug him, "I'll see what I can do for you."

He smiled thankfully, stepping back, but a frown coming onto his face as he saw her expression drop. She seemed worried, tense, and even a bit scared. After writing her, he knew she didn't show those emotions easily, something _really_ had to be bothering her, "Are _you_ ok?"

She swallowed hard, glancing at him, debating something. But recalling he'd written everything about her, he knew her better than anyone, probably even better than the boys, "It's just…I knew you were a prophet, I could see a faint flicker of angel wings _behind_ you but not _on _you, so I knew you weren't an _angel_…I knew that you were protected…I'm just…worried…about _which_ archangel is tethered to you."

Chuck smiled, reaching out to place his hand on her arm, "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

She frowned, feeling oddly comforted by his words. Well, he _was_ the prophet, he _would_ know. She looked over at him and he shot her a quick wink. She blinked before smiling as though she'd just figured something out and walking out of the house to follow after Dean.

~8~

They raced back to the motel, crashing through the door just in time to see Lilith on top of Sam, grabbing his arm, holding a knife, trying to force it into him instead of her.

"I am the prophet Chuck!" Chuck announced, Dean and Michelle behind him, with guns…just in case.

"You've _got_ to be _joking_," Lilith looked over at them, before getting off Sam and approaching Chuck.

"This is no joke," Michelle said seriously just as the room began to tremble and a white light poured in through the windows, building with every second that passed.

"See, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder," Dean informed the demon, "You've got about 10 seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith turned to give Sam a look before the demon poured out of her.

~8~

They hadn't stayed long in the motel room after Lilith left. Dean had grabbed Sam, pulled him out of the room and shoved him into the Impala with Michelle and Chuck following after. They'd driven Chuck back to his house, dropping him off, allowing him to leave, before driving off into the night.

Michelle frowned, hugging her jacket to her, the rear window was still busted and barely covered by the tarp, so she was feeling the brunt of the chilled wind.

"So a deal, huh?" Dean asked Sam.

"That's what she said," Sam nodded.

"To call the whole thing off, angels, seals, Lucifer rising, the whole nine?" Michelle cut in, Sam had just finished telling them what happened, what Lilith had offered him.

"That was the gist of it," Sam shrugged.

"Huh," Dean scoffed.

"What?" Sam looked over at him.

"You didn't think _once _about taking it?" Dean glanced at his brother.

"You kidding me?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Dude, you spent _all day_ trying to talk me _off _the Lilith track."

"I'm just saying…"

"She would have found some way to weasel out of it," Michelle sighed, "And it would have cost us our lives."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dean shrugged.

"I'm always right," she smirked.

"That's not the point," Sam cut in.

"What's the point?" Dean asked.

"The point is, she's _scared_. I could see it. Lilith is running."

"Running from what?" Michelle frowned. That didn't seem like a thing a demon as powerful as Lilith would do…if she was running…it wasn't _from_ something, it was _towards _it with people chasing after her.

"Don't know," Sam sighed, "But she was telling the truth about one thing."

"What's that?" Dean glanced over.

"She's not gonna survive the Apocalypse. I'll make sure of that."

A/N: Michelle and Chuck have shared some secretive little smiles and glances in this chapter. I wonder what they might mean?


	20. Jump the Shark

A/N: Wow, sorry for the late post. I had a 'Sneak Peek' announcment/story up for a DW fic. And even though I said I would delete it only a couple days after posting it, someone reported it as an announcement and not a story before I could delete it and my account was locked till just now (literally 1:51 in the morning where I am). Hence the late post. Sorry! You'll be getting this _and_ 'The Rapture' today to make up for it.

~8~

Jump the Shark

Sam was brushing his teeth, just staring out at the lake before him, while Dean slept in the Impala's passenger seat. Michelle stood behind him, standing against the driver's side, her journal open before her on the roof, jotting down notes quickly.

Dean began to stir, looking around blearily for a moment before twisting to try and get out of the car.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, hearing his brother open the door and watching as he stumbled out, "How'd you sleep?"

"How do you _think_?" Dean glared, trying to get out, cracking his back in the process, "I'm starving, let's get breakfast."

"Where?"

"We're two hours from anything," Michelle added.

"But I'm hungry now," Dean whined.

"There's probably still some sandwiches in the backseat."

Dean smiled, walking back to the Impala and reaching into the backseat to pull out a paper bag. He opened it before reeling back in disgust, "It's _tuna_!"

Before he could complain more a phone started ringing in the car. Sam turned around to look while Dean quickly reached in and began fumbling around the glove compartment, reaching for the phone. Just as he got it, he pulled away, smacking his head on the roof of the Impala.

"Isn't that dad's phone?" Sam frowned.

Dean nodded, answering, "Hello?"

"Uh, is this John?" a voice said on the other end, a young man.

"No, he can't come to the phone. Can I help you?" Dean asked, putting the phone on speaker.

"No, no, no, no, I just...I _really_ need to talk to John," the voice replied, "This is Adam Milligan, he knows me."

"Well sorry to be the one to break this to you pal but John died nearly two years ago. Who is this?"

"I'm his son."

~8~

After Dean had gotten the call from Adam, claiming to be John's son, the brothers had been off, careening down the road, trying to get to Minnesota as fast as they could. They ended up pulling into a little diner in town, Dean quickly getting out and stalking to the trunk.

"Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real," Sam told his brother, going through a few notes he'd made surfing the web for info as Dean sorted through the trunk for weapons, "He was born the September 29th, 1990, to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an eagle scout, graduated from high school with honors, currently goes to the University of Wisconsin, biology major, premed," he looked up to see Dean not seeming to be paying attention, "Dean, are you listening?"

"This is a trap," Dean stated, shutting the trunk and walking towards the diner, the others following behind. As soon as they entered, Dean headed over to a corner table, pulling the chair from one side to the other, which would force Adam to sit across from them when he arrived. Sam got into the table first, sitting near the window, followed by Dean with Michelle sitting on the chair Dean had pulled away at the end.

"Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out," Sam argued quietly.

"Great so he's an actual person on the planet Earth, sucks he's got a demon in him," Dean replied.

"Hi, welcome to Cousin Oliver's," a waitress greeted, putting down water for them.

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

"Can I..."

"We're actually waiting on someone," Dean cut in rudely.

The waitress seemed to notice his tone as she practically slammed the menus down and left.

"Thank you…" Sam tried to call after her. Dean reached over, taking a glass of water in front of him and dumping it into a plant behind him, "What are you…" Dean pulled out a flask and began to uncap it, "Holy water?"

"Yup," Dean nodded, pouring it into the cup, "Once he takes a sip of Jesus-juice this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt," he finished up quickly and put it where Adam would be sitting, pulling out a rolled up cloth from his pocket.

"And what if he's _not _possessed?" Sam asked.

"Then he's a shapeshifter," Dean reasoned, putting a handful of silver utensils by Adam's spot as well.

"Hence the silver," Michelle nodded.

"Either way this thing is gonna bleed, I mean using _dad_ as _bait_?" Dean ground out, "That's the _last_ mistake of its short, pitiful life," he looked up to see Sam giving him a look, "What? What?"

"Dean, listen, there's an entry in dad's journal from January of 1990," Sam opened their father's journal, "Saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's roughly_ nine months _before the kid was born."

"Coincidence," Dean shrugged.

"Coincidence?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "The next two pages in the journal are torn out."

"You're not actually _buying_ this are you?" Dean turned to him.

"Look man I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's _possible_. I mean, dad would be gone for weeks at a time and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean a Hunter rolls into town, kills the monster, saves the girl, sometimes…the girl's grateful."

"Oh yeah, now I'm thinking about dad's sex life, stop talking," Dean ordered.

"Maybe he snuck one past the goalie…" Sam continued teasingly.

"Dude!" Dean half-shouted, when Michelle nudged him in the side. He looked at her but she nodded towards the entrance where a young, blonde man had just walked in.

"Adam?" Sam called, drawing the boy's attention.

He turned and took a few steps towards them, "You Sam?"

"Yeah, uh, this is Dean," Sam nodded at Dean and then Michelle, "And that's Michelle."

"Hi…" he sat down, "So um, how'd you know my dad?"

"Uh, we worked together."

"How did he die?"

"On the job."

"He's a mechanic right?" Adam frowned.

"A car fell on him," Dean deadpanned.

"Hey Adam, how you doing?" the waitress asked, bringing him some water, which Dean took.

"Oh, I'll take that, I'm very thirsty," Dean took a sip.

"The usual Adam?" the waitress asked.

"Uh, yeah, thanks Denise," Adam replied, taking a sip of the holy water before him.

The brothers watched him intently, completely forgetting they had a demon radar sitting next to them. They'd worked out a system for whenever she'd see a demon. She'd subtly lay a hand on their arm or shoulder or something and tense up just a bit so they knew it was a threat. But she was sitting back, more relaxed than the boys.

This kid was no demon.

Which explained why nothing happened when he drank the water.

"So when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked this time.

"Oh, uh, I don't even know, a couple years…" Adam trailed.

Michelle glanced down at the table subtly as she felt Dean move and saw him reaching slowly for his gun and taking it out.

"Why'd you decide to call him now?" Sam tilted his head to the side.

"I didn't know who else to call," Adam replied, "He's the only family I got. My mom is missing."

"Really? I'm sorry. For how long?"

"A tragedy really," Dean cut in, "But if you're John's kid how come we've never heard of you?"

"'Cause John and me didn't really know each other," Adam shrugged, "Not until a few years ago anyway."

"What do you mean?" Michelle cut in.

"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Dean half glared.

"My mom's a nurse and dad came into the ER pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. Not exactly a nuclear family."

"Yeah, who is these days?" Sam nodded.

"So when did you uh, finally meet him?" Dean continued.

"When I was 12...my mom had one of his old numbers and after I begged her 24/7 she finally called him," he smiled a bit, "When John found out he had a son he raced to town, he dropped everything, he drove all night."

"Here you go," Denise said, placing Adam's food before him and leaving.

"Well that's…heartwarming," Dean replied semi-sarcastically.

"Do you mind?" Adam nodded down at his food.

"No, please, dig in," Dean said, cocking his gun. Michelle reached down, resting her hand over his, trying to keep him from firing early.

"He would swing by once a year or so," Adam replied, picking up his utensils, "You know, called when he could but still…" Michelle smiled just a bit, feeling Dean uncock the gun and move to put it away, she pulled her hand away, "He taught me poker, pool, and even bought me my first beer when I was 15. And uh, he showed me how to drive. Dad he had this beautiful '67 Impala…"

"Oh this is crap," Dean cut in, "You know what, you're lying."

"No, I'm not," Adam defended.

"Uh, yeah, you are," Dean glared.

"I'm sorry but who the hell are _you_ to call _me_ a liar?"

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who," Dean answered, pointing between him and Sam, "WE are his sons."

"I've got brothers?" Adam's eyes widened, then glancing at Michelle, "And a sister?"

"No," Michelle shook her head, "Just a friend."

"You_ don't_ have brothers," Dean argued, "I don't know if you're a Hunter or what kind of game you're playing here…"

"I have never been hunting in my life," Adam stated.

"Whatever, I'm out of here," Dean turned, Michelle quickly got up, allowing Dean to leave, "Come on."

"I can prove it!" Adam called as Dean began to walk off.

~8~

Dean and Sam were staring in shock at a picture of Adam and John, standing in front of a baseball game. Adam had taken them back to his house where he showed them pictures of his times with John. Michelle was standing off to the side, feeling a little awkward at the family situation, not being a member of the family.

"He took you to a _baseball_ game?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, when I turned 14," Adam smiled in memory, "Dad was a round for a few of my birthdays."

"September 29th, 2004," Sam read from the journal, "One word, 'Minnesota.'"

"He took you to a freaking _baseball_ game?" Dean repeated, more flustered.

"Yeah…why, what'd dad with you on your birthday?" Adam replied, taking the picture back from Dean.

"Oh…" Dean just waved it off.

"Adam you said you called dad because your mom was missing?" Sam turned to Adam.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"How long has she been gone?" Michelle asked, glad that the topic was turning more towards the job.

"Three days."

"Who was the last person to see her?" Dean added.

"Mr. Abonanti, our neighbor, he saw her come home Tuesday night but she never showed up to work on Wednesday."

"Did you call the police?" Michelle continued.

"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did, then I drove down here as fast as I could," Adam frowned in guilt, "I should have been here."

"What'd the cops say?" Dean tried to refrain from glaring.

"They um, searched the house but they didn't find anything," Adam looked up at them, "She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the Earth, you know?"

~8~

The trio had split up to look around the house. Dean was checking Kate's room while Sam did some research on any other disappearances and Michelle gave the other rooms a quick onceover.

Michelle had just finished checking them out when she saw Sam walk past, a few papers in his hand. She followed him to Kate's room, catching up as Sam motioned for Dean to come out to talk.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, glancing at her.

"Nothing," she replied.

Dean nodded, turning to Sam, "You talk to the cops?"

"Yeah, like Adam said, no leads on his mom," Sam answered.

"Hmm, shocker there," Dean rolled his eyes.

"But, I_ did _find this, um here," he held out a paper with a news report and picture on it. Michelle shuffled around to stand by Dean and read over his arm, "In 1990 there were 17 grave robberies in the area."

"Think that's why dad came through here?" Dean looked up.

"I'd say so, check it out," Michelle replied, pointing to a small blurry image of John Winchester standing in a crowd.

"Alright, so he was hunting something but what?"

"No idea, those were the pages torn out of the journal," Sam said, "But last month the corpse snatching started up again. 3 bodies from the local cemetery."

"Dead bodies?" Michelle frowned.

"Only kind there are in cemeteries," Dean remarked, "So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it. It's back."

"And what?" Michelle asked, shaking her head, she had a pretty good idea of what it could be, but…ghouls only ate _dead_ meat…not fresh, why would they take Kate? "It stepped up its game to fresh meat?"

Sam nodded, "I mean, Kate's missing and," he switched the papers to a missing person's report, "So is the local bartender. A guy named Joe Barton."

Dean took the paper, walking into Kate's room where Adam was sitting on the bed, "Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?"

"I don't think so, why?" he frowned, looking up. Dean looked down at the floor, taking a few steps up when he saw scratch marks there, "What is it?"

"Watch out," Dean waved him off the bed, "Give me a hand with the mattress."

He and Adam moved the mattress off the bed frame, revealing a grate beneath it. Dean and Sam turned to each other, rock-paper-scissoring for the next part of their hunt. Dean's rock lost to Sam's paper and he silently vented his frustrations, "Every time!" he hissed, about to take off his jacket and jump into the vent.

"I'll do it," Michelle shook her head at him.

"No, I…"

"I'm smaller. I'll be able to maneuver better than you."

"But Mich…" Sam tried.

"Am I going to have to SP-Roshambo you for it?" she raised an eyebrow.

Both Sam and Dean held up their hands in surrender, stepping back from her as she bent down and moved the grate.

"SP-Roshambo?" Adam leaned over and whispered to the men.

"Uh…'South Park' Roshambo," Sam replied, tensely.

Adam raised an eyebrow and Dean sighed, "Basically, she kicks us in the nuts so she _has _to go."

"Oh…" Adam nodded slowly, stepping back from Michelle as well.

Michelle smirked to herself at their conversation as she took out her gun and flashlight and lowered herself into the vent. She began crawling until she saw a blood stain on the corner of the vent. She wiggled forward, coming to a T, she readied her gun and popped to the left, only to see a puddle of blood, flesh, and hair.

~8~

That night Dean was cleaning his gun in the motel room, with Michelle doing the same at the table, Sam on his laptop. Just then there was a knock on the door, Sam glanced at the two of them before getting up to answer.

"Who the hell _are _you?" Adam demanded as he stormed into the room, Michelle and Dean quickly hiding their guns.

"Adam…hey, take it easy…" Sam began.

"No, don't tell me to take it easy ok?" Adam snapped, "My _house_ is a _crime scene_, my mom's probably _dead_, and you three…well you tell me to call the cops but you gotta bail before they show? So who are you _really_?" they exchanged a look but Adam continued, "Cops didn't know where to look for my mom but _you_ did Dean. Now I heard you talking earlier, something about grave robberies…" he trailed off, seeing Dean's shotgun peeking out from the cloth he'd hidden it under, "You're not mechanics," he stated, sighing, "I just wanna know what's going on," they exchanged another look, "_Please_."

"We're Hunters," Sam answered.

"Sammy!" Dean turned to face his brother in warning.

Michelle remained silent, it wasn't up to her to decide whether or not the boys told their brother the truth.

"He deserves to know Dean," Sam insisted.

"What do you mean Hunters?" Adam shook his head.

Seeing the looks shooting between Sam and Dean, and Dean's sigh of defeat, Michelle assumed they were about to tell him, "You might want to sit down Adam," she said.

~8~

A while later, Sam and Dean had finished telling Adam all about what being a Hunter was about, with Michelle throwing in little facts here and there.

"So basically you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare I've ever had, that's all _real_?" Adam asked, still trying to absorb it all.

"Godzilla's just a movie," Dean called.

"And Bigfoot's a myth," Michelle added.

"We hunt them," Sam got back to the topic, "So did dad."

"Ok," Adam swallowed.

"Ok?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"What am I supposed to say?" he shook his head, looking up at Dean.

"That we're liars, that we're crazy?" Michelle supplied, "Nobody we've met just says 'ok.'"

"Yeah, well," Adam turned to Sam and Dean, "You're my brothers. You'd tell me the truth, right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Then I believe you. What took my mom?"

"We're not sure," Michelle sighed, putting her gun down, now clean, "Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what."

"There's a long list of freaks that fit the bill," Dean added.

"You think maybe she might still be alive?" he asked hopefully, but seeing their tense looks, his expression dropped, "Oh," he took a breath, "How can I help?"

"You can't."

"This thing killed my mom! If you're hunting it, I want in."

"No."

"Dean, look, maybe…" Sam began.

"Maybe what?" Dean glared at his brother.

"He lost his mother, maybe we can understand what that feels like."

"Why do you think dad never told us about this kid Sam?" Dean half-yelled, getting up, "Why do you think he ripped out the pages?"

"Because…"

"Because he was _protecting_ him!"

"Dad's dead Dean."

"That doesn't matter. He didn't want Adam to have our lives, ok? And we're gonna respect his wishes."

"Do I get a say in this?" Adam called.

"No," Dean shouted along with Sam at the same time that Michelle shrugged out a, "Probably not."

"Look," Sam sighed, "Maybe he's just a kid…" he looked up to see Dean getting ready to leave, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out!" Dean shouted, turning to Michelle, "Keep an eye on them!" he ordered her before slamming the door.

"Is he _always_ like that?" Adam asked after a moment, Michelle smirking, thinking about how she'd asked that very same question about Dean when she'd started hunting with the brothers.

"Welcome to the family," Sam shook his head, "Here," he held out a gun, "I'm gonna teach you a few things."

"Sam…Dean said…" Michelle began, not really wanting to deal with a fuming Dean when he returned to see what Sam was doing.

"I know what Dean said," he glanced at her, holding the gun up for Adam to take once more as he turned to his newfound brother, "And I know what it's like to want to get revenge."

"So…um," Adam glanced at Michelle, smirking a bit, if they wanted to...they could _so _take her, "_You're_ keeping an eye on us?"

"I wouldn't joke about that," Sam replied seriously, "She could take the three of us, easy."

Adam swallowed hard as Michelle set about sharpening her knife, her eyes fixed on him…if only to freak him out a bit.

~8~

About an hour later, Sam had taught Adam how to lock, load, and clean a gun or two.

"Sam…" Adam began, loading a handgun, "How did dad _really_ die?"

"A demon," Sam answered.

"You hunt it down? Got revenge?"

"Dean killed it."

"So it's over for you?"

Michelle looked up sharply at that, now frowning as she eyed Adam carefully. It had been her experience that _anyone_ that asked Sam something like that, or implied he could leave being a Hunter behind, or praised how he could do more...was _not_ a good person in her book. Nearly everyone she'd encountered who had done that had been demons trying to pull Sam away from his family...but...Adam wasn't a demon...

"It's never over," Sam stated.

Just then the lights went out.

"What the…" Adam jumped up with Sam and Michelle, both of whom had their guns drawn and ready.

"Shh," Sam whispered to the boy, "Stay here," he slowly walked towards the bathroom door, hearing a noise behind it. He cocked his gun and threw the door open, but saw nothing. He spun around, hearing a noise behind him, which quickly moved all around the room.

"It's in the vents!" Michelle shouted, watching as a figure flew past the vent.

"Go!" Sam shouted, pushing Adam towards the door, shooting the vent above her.

"No!" Michelle yelled, having heard the skittering heading for the door, spinning to see them rush outside, "Sam, don't!" she got out the door just as Sam and Adam reached the stairs and ran after them.

"Where's your car?" Sam called.

"Over here," Adam ran towards it.

"Ok, keys!" Sam held up his hand as Adam tossed him the keys.

Just as Sam reached the driver's door, something pulled his ankles, sending him to the ground.

"Sam!" Michelle shouted, running to his side as Adam ran around the car to grab his other arm.

"Dean help!" Adam called as the Impala pulled up. Dean quickly got out his shotgun and ran to the truck, shooting under it just as Michelle and Adam pulled Sam away. Dean didn't wait long after checking on Sam before pulling Adam's car away. He got out to see Michelle already kneeling by the open sewer cap, examining it.

"You winged it," she told him, standing up.

Dean nodded, turning to the boys, "Did you see anything?"

"I didn't get a good look," Sam said.

"Neither did I," Michelle shook her head.

"What _is_ this thing?" Dean asked to no one in particular.

"Should we go after it?" Adam looked over at them.

"No, if you ask me, that things long gone."

"Alright, so we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after," Sam replied, "Joe Barton, Adam's mom…"

"And Adam," Michelle agreed.

"It was sitting under his truck just waiting for him," Dean nodded.

"It was a trap…and I walked right into it," Sam sighed.

"Doesn't matter," Dean shook his head, "You're right, there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop, I'm pretty sure he helped out dad. So it got him, dad's girl, and his son."

"All the people dad knew in town."

"At least we know why it's back."

"It wants revenge," Adam spoke.

~8~

They managed to make it back to Adam's house in one piece. Sam leaning heavily on Michelle as his leg was pretty scratched up. Adam ducked under the police tape but Dean just ripped it off.

"Grab your stuff, we'll hit the road," Dean told him and Adam immediately raced upstairs to get some of his possessions.

"We shouldn't leave," Sam groaned as Michelle helped him sit and went about cleaning the scratches.

"Yeah, stay here where the kid's mom got ganked, good one," Dean rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious."

"No, Sam, ok, we're gonna take the kid, drop him off at Bobby's, and then we're gonna come back here and finish off what dad started."

"How?" Sam scoffed, "We have no leads, no witnesses, we _do_ have what this thing wants."

"You want to use the_ kid_ as _bait_?" Michelle frowned. That was not like Sam...

"_That's_ why you want to stay here?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe this thing'll come back," Sam reasoned, "We can train Adam. Get him ready."

"He could _die _Sam."

"We could all die. Even if we do kill this thing there are tons of other freaks that want revenge. On dad, on us. Whether we fight, the kid is dead if he's not ready."

"I'll do it," Adam said, walking up to them from the shadows of the door, "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. I wanna do it."

~8~

As soon as it was light enough, Sam took Adam outside to show him the wonders of using a gun. He'd made a makeshift bull's-eye out of a sign and was firing at it while Dean and Michelle watched from a distance away. He fired three times, hitting the bull's-eye.

"Whoa," Adam breathed, impressed.

"It's easy, just feel the recoil and time the trigger pulls, three times," Sam instructed, holding the gun out to Adam.

"Yeah?" Adam glanced at the gun.

"Go ahead," Sam shrugged.

Adam took it and fired. The first time went over the sign and landed in the dirt, the second flew to the edge of the sign, and the third hit the eye.

"Beginner's luck right?" Adam laughed.

Dean did not look happy and Michelle looked worried.

~8~

After target practice Sam had decided to show Adam pictures of the monsters and demons they hunted, recounting tales of how they'd taken the monsters out.

"…then we lit it on fire," Sam finished.

"With a homemade flamethrower?" Adam smiled.

"Yeah, they're easy to build," Sam returned the smile, "I'll show you."

"That is some job you got man," Adam shook his head in amazement.

"Being a Hunter isn't a job Adam," Sam told him, becoming very serious, "It's _life_. You're pre-med, you got a girlfriend, friends?" Adam nodded, "Not any more you don't. If you're _really_ gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections. _Ever_. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed," Dean looked down at that, uncomfortable with how familiar this whole speech was feeling, "It's the price we pay, you cut them out and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family."

"Sam, can I talk to you?" Dean asked suddenly, leading his brother out into the hallway.

Fearing the onset of WWIII between the brothers, Michelle followed.

"What the hell was that?" Dean demanded.

"What?" Sam shook his head.

"Hunting is life, you can't have connections? Dad gave you the _exact_ same speech, you remember? It was before you _ditched_ us for Stanford. You _hated_ dad for saying that stuff and now you're _quoting_ him?"

"Yeah, well, turns out dad was right," Sam shrugged.

"Since when?"

"Since always. Dean when I look at Adam, you know what I see?"

"A normal kid?"

"No, meat," Sam answered. Michelle looked up, startled by what Sam was saying, but more importantly, how he sounded, "Because to the demons and monsters out there that's all he is. I hated dad for a long time. I did. But _now_, I think I understand. So we didn't have a dog and a white picket fence, so what? Dad did right by us, he taught us how to protect ourselves. Adam deserves the same."

"Listen to yourself man," Dean frowned at him.

"You think I'm wrong?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's too late for _us_. This _is_ our life, this is who we are, ok? It's fine, I accept that. But Adam…he's still got a chance man, he could go to school he could be a doctor…"

"What makes Adam so special?"

"What are you _jealous_ of the kid?"

"Are _you_? Dean all this, it's not _real_. The dad Adam knew...he wasn't real. The things out there in the shadows, _they_ are real. The world is coming to an end, _that's_ real. Everything else is just part of the crap people tell themselves to get through the day."

Michelle crossed her arms, shifting back and forth as she listened to Sam speak. The things he was saying, talking about the shadows and their realness…it wasn't good. Something was _wrong_.

"Dad didn't have a choice with us, but with Adam he did," Dean argued, "Adam doesn't _have _to be cursed."

"Adam's a Winchester," Sam stated, "He's already cursed."

"No, no whatever's hunting Adam, I'm gonna find it."

"You already looked everywhere Dean."

"Then I'll look with him this time," Michelle stepped in, "Two heads are better than one, right?"

Dean looked over at her, grateful, while Sam just stared in half-anger, half-disbelief. Michelle tried not to look at him as she turned and walked out of the house with Dean.

~8~

Dean sped off to the cemetery, taking her to the mausoleum where he'd been before. They walked around, eyeing every stone in the place.

"Dean," Michelle whispered, nodding towards a wall where they could see a misplaced stone, sticking out. They knelt down and began to pry it out and push the rest of the stones out of the way to reveal a tunnel. They glanced at each other before crawling through it and into a crypt.

"Home sweet home," Dean remarked, looking around. He took a step forward, but stopped when he stepped in a puddle of _fresh_ blood. He knelt down, picking up a pair of glasses for Michelle to see, glasses Joe Barton had been wearing in the photo of the news report Sam had found, "Sloppy Joe?"

Michelle grimaced for a moment before jumping, startled, when a thumping sound reached them. They spun around and ran to the tunnel to see someone on the other side boarding it up. Dean quickly tried to shoot at the person but only managed to cave-in the tunnel.

"Son of a bitch," Dean grumbled, before turning around to see Michelle trying to get a cell signal, but she shook her head, not getting one, "Son of a bitch!"

He sighed, walking off, over to a pair of doors in the wall, trying to break them down but couldn't. The duo tried to make their way around the crypt, looking for an exit, trying to avoid the skeletons scattered around the place. Dean held out a hand, stopping Michelle when he caught sight of a coffin with a few handprints on the side. He slowly walked over and opened it, reeling back from the horrid smell, only to see a woman lying there, her intestines ripped out.

"Kate," Michelle mumbled, recognizing her from photos in Adam's house, "Adam's mom," she looked around, seeing another coffin a few feet away. She walked over to it and opened it, to reveal _Adam_ in the same condition.

"And Adam," Dean added, shaking his head at his dead brother.

Michelle quickly closed the coffin, feeling like she was intruding on his final resting place, "It's gotta be ghouls. They're the only ones that become the person they eat."

"Great," Dean grumbled, "Now how are we going to get out of here?"

Michelle frowned in thought, walking in a small circle around the room, pausing in the middle to look up before turning swiftly and going over to Kate's coffin. She reached out, grabbing the handle on the side and managed to pull it off.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked carefully, knowing how she got about defending her ideas.

"Reminding you why you let me hunt with you," she replied, jumping on top of the coffin and smashing a panel on the ceiling which Dean saw was a stained glass angel. Light poured into the room as Michelle smirked in victory. She maneuvered the coffin handle over the pit entrance and pulled herself up and out, leaning back into the pit to look at Dean, "You coming?"

~8~

They raced back to Adam's house, knowing that Ghoul-Adam was probably trying to kill Sam at that point. Seeing Kate's body, they figured there was a second ghoul, the one that boarded them in, and once the two met up, they would attack Sam.

They ran to the back of the house, only to see a struggling Sam tied to a table, various cuts on his arms, with two bowls underneath to collect the blood, 'Adam' and his 'mother' standing above him.

"Sam the more you struggle the faster you're gonna bleed out," 'Adam' chastised him lightly.

"Hey!" Dean shouted, appearing from behind the wall, shooting 'Adam' in the chest, sending him careening back into the wall.

"They're…" Sam shouted as Michelle turned to 'Kate' and shot her right in the head with a shotgun, "…ghouls…" he finished, stunned.

"Which means head shot," Michelle quipped, turning around just as 'Adam' tackled Dean into the next room, "Dean!" she shouted, about to go after him.

"Get Sam!" Dean replied, fighting with 'Adam.'

Michelle quickly ran to Sam's side, using her knife to cut the ties around him, helping him sit up. She grabbed a few towels and ran back to him, wrapping them tightly around his wrists and applying pressure. She looked up at the sound of thumping to see Dean beating 'Adam's' head in with some sort of object. Once he was sure the ghoul was dead he ran over to them.

"Sammy, you ok?" he asked, checking his brother.

"Fine," Sam breathed, looking at them, "Thank you."

"That's what family's for right?" Dean smiled, sending a meaningful look at Michelle, assuring her that she _was_, very much, a part of the family.

~8~

Michelle stood by the kitchen sink, watching as Sam and Dean lit the pyre they'd built for their brother. Dean had asked her to join them, but she'd declined, it was a_ family_ affair, no matter what Dean said, and she didn't want to intrude. So she busied herself in cleaning Sam's blood off the bowls the ghouls had used. If the police came, it wouldn't be good for anyone if they saw it.

She looked down at the first bowl, staring at the blood with a frown on her face. She put it down and took a breath, grabbing her flashlight and flicking it on, aimed at the bowl, her entire countenance dropping as she saw the color of the blood.

While blood was usually red…Sam's was much, _much_ darker, probably only a few shades lighter than black. This was _not_ a good sign. The _only_ thing that could turn human blood that color…was the ingestion of demon blood.

She bit her lip, throwing the bowl into the sink with the water still running, bracing her arms on either side of it, looking away. Her face was scrunched in pain and horror as the truth was forced into her mind, she couldn't deny it any longer.

Sam was drinking demon blood.

A/N: Dun Dun Duh! Now Michelle knows the truth, well, _admits_ it at least. Chuck was right, with her knowledge of demons and how their blood affects people, she KNEW what Sam was doing...but she REALLY didn't want to believe it. Now there's no denying it.

How much worse can their relationship possible get now?

Much, much worse.


	21. The Rapture

A/N: Hey all. I typically only post one chapter of a story a day, but since my account was locked yesterday (see my Jump the Shark chapter note) I'm posting this chapter as well. Sorry I couldn't post yesterday!

~8~

The Rapture

Dean had awoken in the middle of the night with a start, hastily waking up Sam and Michelle and half-pushing them out the door. He sped off into the night, informing them about his dream, about Castiel needing to meet them and his directions. The closer they came the more nervous Michelle seemed to get, for Castiel to reach out to Dean and not her...meant he didn't want to worry her...which meant something bad had either gone down or was about to.

As soon as they pulled up to an abandoned factory, Michelle was jumping out of the car and heading towards it, the boys following behind. They walked down a dimly lit corridor, their flashlights providing the only light until they reached a large area, with the lights flickering above them, some blown out.

"Well, what did he say, Dean?" Sam turned to his brother as they made their way up some stairs, "What was so important?"

"If I knew, would I be here?" Dean replied.

"Yes," Michelle answered, "Because I'd drag you here kicking and screaming. Something's wrong. Castiel's in trouble."

They just reached the top to see sparks falling from wires around the room, the room itself completely destroyed, riddled with mangled metal.

"What the hell..." Dean's eyes widened.

"Looks like a bomb went off," Sam frowned.

"Cas!" Michelle shouted, trekking into the room.

"There was a fight here," Dean commented, taking in the destruction.

"Between who?" Sam asked.

"Three guesses," Michelle called over to them, stopping before a symbol on the wall.

"What is that?" Dean asked, coming to stand beside her with Sam.

"It's a banishing symbol," Michelle replied, "It casts angels away."

"So what...Cas was fighting angels?" Sam glanced at her.

"Looks like it," she said grimly.

Dean turned around, catching sight of a body lying in a pile of rubble on the floor, "Guys!" he called as they rushed over to Castiel's body, "Cas? Cas! Hey, Cas…" Dean reached out, trying to nudge him awake.

"What's...what's going on?" he asked, waking up, his voice softer.

"Just take it easy, take it easy," Dean replied, helping him sit up.

"Oh, n...no…"

"Cas, you ok?" Sam asked.

"It's not Castiel," Michelle stated, pulling the man to his feet. The wings that usually surrounded the man were gone. It was his vessel, not the angel.

"You're right," he said, staring down at himself, sounding much more human than the boys had ever heard him, "It's me."

"Who's me?" Sam asked, looking at Dean in surprise.

"Jimmy," Michelle answered, stepping up to the man, "Are you ok?"

He looked up at her, startled, "How do you know my name?"

"Castiel told me it once. I'm Michelle, that's Sam and Dean. Sound familiar?"

"A little," he frowned, "Michelle…" he trailed in thought, _that_ name sounded _very_ familiar.

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean demanded.

"He's gone," Jimmy stated.

~8~

Back in the motel room, Jimmy was sitting before the trio at the table, eating a burger and clearly enjoying it enormously. He'd already scarfed down two and was on his third. Dean was on the left, Sam on the right, with Michelle across from Jimmy, who was sitting before a large window.

"Mmm," Jimmy grinned as he bit into his burger.

"Let's slow down, you're gonna give me angina," Dean remarked.

"I'm hungry," Jimmy shrugged, taking a gulp of soda.

"When's the last time you ate?" Sam frowned.

"I dunno," he swallowed, "Months?" he took another drink of soda, holding his almost finished burger in his other hand, biting into it again, "Mmm..._mmm_."

Michelle couldn't help but laugh at his delight. Jimmy sucked his drink dry so she slid her own soda over to him. He smiled gratefully, beginning to drink that too.

"What the hell happened back there?" she asked.

"It looked like an angel battle royale," Sam added.

"All I remember is there was a flash of light and I...and I woke up and I was just like me again," he told them.

"So what, Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean frowned.

"I really dunno."

"You remember anything about being possessed?" Sam continued, "Anything at all?"

"Mmm, bits and pieces, I mean, angel being inside you, it's kinda like being chained to a comet."

"That's normal," Michelle nodded, "Most vessels aren't very aware of what's happened. To them it's like waking up and realizing months have gone by."

"How do you know that?" Dean turned to her.

"Castiel told me," she shrugged.

"I _do_ remember you three," Jimmy added, before frowning, "You were _especially_ important to Castiel, Michelle."

"Why?" Sam turned to face her as well.

She fidgeted a bit, "Um…I've actually known Castiel for a while."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"Ever since I was a kid actually," she replied slowly, "When the angels learned I could see them and demons, I guess they wanted to send one to keep an eye on me. They sent Castiel to visit me in my dreams, checking up on me."

The brothers nodded, a gift as unique as hers could be useful to anyone. They had no doubt that, had Anna not been a Fallen angel, and just been a regular girl who could hear angels, they would have taken her and protected her as well.

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something," Sam turned to Jimmy, getting the conversation back on point, "Please, tell me you remember that."

Jimmy shook his head sadly, "Sorry."

"What _do_ you know?" Dean asked, getting frustrated.

"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois. I have a family…"

~8~

Sam, Dean, and Michelle were outside, leaning against the Impala, watching the motel.

"So what do we do?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean?" Dean glanced over at his brother, "The guys got a family. We buy him a bus ticket. Send him home."

"I don't know about that," Sam said slowly, "He's the only lead we got."

"But he doesn't know anything," Michelle argued, agreeing with Dean.

"Are you a hundred percent about that?"

"I'd say 99," she shrugged, "He knows basic things, who we are, our names, vague feelings, but nothing more than that."

"You think he's lying?" Dean frowned at Sam, "What, you wanna go Guantanamo on the guy?"

"Maybe he doesn't even know what he knows," Sam shrugged.

"Huh?" both Dean _and _Michelle looked confused at that.

Sam waved them off, "I say at least we get him to Bobby's. Maybe all he needs is...is...is hypnosis or a psychic or, hell, maybe Cas will just drop back into him."

"I don't know man," Dean said slowly.

"Back there was angel-on-angel violence," Sam argued, "Now, I don't know what's going on, but it's big and we can't just let the only lead we got just skip out," Dean just shook his head at him, "What?"

"Remember when our job was _helping _people, like getting them _back_ to their families?"

"You think I don't wanna help him? I'm just being realistic. I mean, hell, we're doing him a _favor_."

"How?" Michelle asked, honestly wanting to know.

Sam sighed, "If we wanna question the guy, you can damn well bet the demons do too."

Michelle sighed, it _did_ make sense…an angel's vessel could be the _perfect_ bait or trap, in the wrong hands. But still…she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something _else_ they could do to help.

~8~

"What the hell you talking about 'I can't go home?'" Jimmy demanded.

"There's a good chance you have a bull's-eye on your back," Dean replied grimly, not liking this one bit.

"What?" Jimmy frowned, "From who?"

"Demons."

"Come on, that's crazy, what do they want with _me_?"

"I don't know," Dean rubbed his head, "Information maybe?"

"I don't know anything!"

"I know."

"I'm done, ok, with demons, angels, _all_ of it. I just wanna go _home_."

"We understand…"

"No, I don't think that you do understand," Jimmy cut in, "I've been shot and stabbed and healed and my body's been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle I'm out and I am _done_. I've given _enough_, ok?"

Michelle looked down. She'd heard stories of how hard it was for the vessels of angels, some of them didn't even survive the journey. It would be a small comfort to Jimmy to know that, compared to others, Castiel had taken _very_ good care of him.

"Look, all we're saying is that, until we figure this out, the safest place is with us," Sam replied.

Michelle looked up, frowning in thought.

"How long?" Jimmy asked after a moment.

Sam shook his head, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Great," Jimmy scoffed, shaking his head and walking past Dean towards the door.

"Where you going?" Dean asked.

"To see my wife and daughter, ok?" he glared at them.

"No, you're not," Sam replied, pushing Jimmy back and standing in front of the door, "You're just gonna put those people in danger."

"So what, now I'm a prisoner?"

"Harsh way to put it," Sam commented, but nodded.

~8~

Sam had been staying up to keep an eye on Jimmy, making sure he wouldn't try and leave. But, after casting a quick glance at Dean, he left the room. Michelle's eyes snapped open, this was probably the _only_ chance they'd have. For once, she supposed, she could be thankful for the change in Sam. He'd NEVER have left the room like that before. She got up, fully dressed, and walked over to Jimmy's bed, shaking him awake.

"Come on," she whispered as he woke, "We need to go, _now_."

Jimmy didn't say a word as he got up and followed her out of the room, walking quickly along the wall to the stairs and out of the motel complex.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy asked as they came to a stop.

Michelle looked over at the bus stop sign they were standing by, "Well, Sam said you're safest with us right?" Jimmy nodded, "Well, if one of _us_ goes with you back to your family, you'd be just as safe."

"But…" he began.

"I won't intrude," she promised, "Not unless I have to. Just think of me as…standing in the shadows, making sure no demons come after you, until Sam and Dean figure out what's going on."

Jimmy smiled, "Thank you."

She smiled too as a bus pulled up, "No problem."

~8~

Dean was in for a rude awakening when he had almost been knocked out of the bed by Sam, half-awake and hearing his brother shouting about how, not only was Jimmy gone, but so was Michelle. He could only smirk and think to himself, 'way to go Mickey!' They'd both been on the same page about getting Jimmy back to his family but it seemed like she had been the one to take the initiative to _do something_ about it. Thinking on it, it made sense, she was the only one neither he nor Sam could punch when they disobeyed…not just because she was a girl, but because she could easily kick their asses to next Tuesday before they could even make a fist.

Nevertheless, with Sam on a rampage, he figured it would be best to go with his brother, which explained why they were racing down the highway in the Impala towards Jimmy's town. He still didn't know how Sam had let them go. According to his brother, he'd been out getting a coke from the vending machine and they'd snuck out. Honestly, he wasn't too sure he believed him, especially with how jittery he was on the subject and how he couldn't look him in the eye. To be truthful, he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know what Sam had _really_ been doing.

"Hey guys," a voice said from the backseat.

Dean swerved in shock, seeing Anna in the mirror, "Wow! Jesus!"

"Smooth," Anna laughed.

"Ever try calling ahead?" Dean glared, trying to calm his heart rate.

"I like the element of surprise," she shrugged.

"Wow," he gave her the onceover, "You look terrific."

"Um, yeah, not the most appropriate time, Dean. You let Jimmy get away."

"Talk to ginormo here," Dean nudged Sam.

"Sam?" Anna turned to look at him, frowning, "You seem…different."

"Me?" Sam asked, nervously, "What, huh, I dunno, a haircut?"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Sam cleared his throat, "Um, well, you don't have to worry about Jimmy, Michelle's with him."

Anna nodded, "Good, she'll take care of him for now. I trust her."

"That hurts," Dean smirked.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Well, she's doing a better job keeping an eye on him than you two," she sighed, "So, what'd Jimmy tell you? He remember anything?"

"Why, what's going on?" Dean frowned, becoming serious

"It's Cas," she replied grimly, "He got sent back home. Well, more like dragged back."

"To Heaven? That's not a good thing?"

"No," she shook her head, "That's a very _bad_ thing. Painfully, _awfully_ bad. He must have _seriously_ pissed someone off."

"Cas said he had something to tell me, something important."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Does Jimmy know?"

"Michelle doesn't think so. Neither do I."

"Whatever it is, it's _huge_. You gotta find out for sure."

~8~

Michelle stood outside Jimmy's house, leaning against a telephone pole, eyes trained on the area. On the bus ride over Jimmy had told her about how he'd first come to be the vessel of Castiel. The first experience with the angel, hearing his true voice, had reduced him to a seizure in his living room one night. But the second encounter was when Castiel had asked Jimmy to put his hand in a pot of boiling water, to prove his faith, which the man had done to the surprise of having his hand be completely fine when he pulled it out. Unfortunately, Jimmy had told her, his wife had entered in the middle of it and thought he'd gone insane, talking about voices telling him to do it. She'd taken him to a doctor who had prescribed him some pills, which he refused to take. It really put a strain on his relationship with his wife as that was a main concern they argued over. She'd even threatened to leave with their daughter if he didn't take the pills. He'd gone outside and called out to Castiel. The angel had promised to take care of Jimmy's family if he became a vessel and Jimmy had agreed.

And so she stood outside the house. She had seen his wife open the door and them converse for a bit, tensely. A few minutes later, though, he had been allowed into the house. She could see them sit down in the living room to talk. She'd helped him come up with an excuse for where he had been all this time, a psych clinic. According to their story he wanted to get himself straightened out so he wouldn't put his family through any more pain. He hadn't called because it hurt too much to have them know he'd been locked away and declared insane. Jimmy had wanted to talk about how he'd been delusional to think that God had a bigger role for him, Michelle had argued against it, but from the expression on his face right now that's what he was doing.

She continued to watch as Jimmy's wife, Amelia, left and got Jimmy a sandwich. In that time, she'd called down their daughter, Claire, to reunite her with her father. She smiled as the two embraced and sat down at the dinner table. Claire said something that made Jimmy pause but then continue eating. Whatever she had said must have hit home with Jimmy as he began to cry.

She'd been so focused on the family affair that she jumped at the sound of the doorbell ringing. She looked over to see a neighbor standing there, glancing behind him at the street. She frowned, he was a demon. She ran towards the house, grabbing her gun to take him out, when the door opened. She dropped down, pressing herself against the base of the porch as Amelia answered the door.

"Hey, how ya doin'?" the man asked as Amelia ushered him inside.

"Good…" she closed the door.

"God damn it!" Michelle shouted to herself, walking up to the door, being careful as she looked through the window, she didn't want to scare Amelia and Claire, so, for now, she had to just watch. If the demon tried anything, she'd kick the door down and go after him.

She watched as he talked to Amelia for a moment until Jimmy came in and hugged him. The demon nodded to the next room and Jimmy followed him in. Quickly Michelle followed along the outside of the house to the next window, seeing the two men talk. She saw Jimmy smiling but waved her hands to catch his eye. He frowned as he saw her. She shook her head furiously, mouthing 'DEMON' to him. Moments later, the man must have said something because Jimmy suddenly lunged at him...just as Amelia walked into the room. Today was _not_ her day as now she had to refrain from opening the window at Amelia's presence, the woman unable to see the man as a demon, just her husband attacking him.

Jimmy turned and pushed Amelia out of the room, running down the hallway. Michelle reached out to open the window and finish off the demon, when she realized the window was locked. A second later the demon had walked out of the room. Cursing her luck, Michelle elbowed the window, breaking it enough to unlock it and force it open. She climbed in, hoping she could sneak up on the demon from that room.

Just as soon as she got to the doorway where she could see the back of the demon, she saw that he was holding Claire to him, a knife to her throat. Jimmy and Amelia ran around the corner, unable to see her through the man.

"Hey pal, told ya I'd gut the bitch," the demon said.

Before he could get another word in, Michelle fired right through the back of the man's head. He fell to the floor, dropping Claire. Amelia ran forward to her daughter.

"You ok?" Michelle asked Jimmy, he nodded, taking a step towards his family, when a short haired woman crashed through the door and tackled him, punching him profusely.

"Oh my God!" Amelia shouted as the woman's eyes turned black and realized all her husband's insane claims were actually true.

Michelle took a step forward to go and grab the demon off Jimmy, when Sam and Dean crashed through the door. Sam holding out his hand, holding the demon in place as Dean helped pull Jimmy away.

"Go!" Sam shouted back at them, "Get them out of here!"

"Go!" Dean pulled Jimmy out of the door while Michelle pushed Amelia and Claire, "Go!"

They could see Sam struggle with the demon through the door once they'd gotten the family outside. Dean nodded at Michelle to watch the family while he ran back in to help Sam.

"Aw, can't get it up, can ya Sam?" the demon taunted.

"No, but_ I _can," Dean shouted, lunging at the woman, when black smoke flew out of her body and through the door, out into the night sky.

"Come on, come on," Dean grabbed Sam and helped him outside as he stumbled, weak, "Everyone here?" he asked Michelle.

"Yeah," she nodded, "We need to go, now."

Somehow they managed to pile into the Impala, Jimmy and his wife in the back with Michelle, Claire sitting on her mother's lap.

Dean quickly sped off into the night.

~8~

Amelia and Claire were sitting in the Impala, sleeping, while Sam, Dean, Michelle, and Jimmy stood outside, talking.

"You were right," Jimmy sighed.

"Sorry we were," Dean replied.

"But I'm telling you, I _don't_ know anything."

"_We_ believe you," Michelle said, "But I don't think the demons are that inclined."

"And even if they did, you're still a vessel," Sam continued, "They're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick."

"Which means vivisection, if they're felling generous," Dean shook his head.

"It's the blood," Michelle answered, "Angels transverse through bloodlines."

"What?" they looked at her.

"Angels can possess anyone willing, but those of a certain bloodline allow an angel to use their full powers," she explained, "I don't know how the angels pick the bloodlines though…"

Sam sighed, that made Jimmy's daughter a possible target as well, especially if the demons learned about that little fact, "I'm gonna tell you once again. You're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us."

Jimmy looked back at the car, at his family, "How long? And don't give me that, 'we'll cross that bridge when we get to it' crap."

"Don't you get it?" Sam snapped, "_Forever_. The demons'll _never_ stop. You can _never_ be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible, or you put a bullet in your head, and _that's_ how you keep your family safe, but there's _no_ getting out and there's _no_ going home."

"Jeez Sam," Michelle frowned at him.

Usually he was compassionate enough to want to let the victim down gently, get them to understand. This was _completely_ unlike him. She eyed him closely, seeing his fidgeting nature and the obvious annoyance and aggression…she could only guess that he'd been cut off from his demon blood for now. His behavior reminded her of an addict, which meant it would only get worse. They'd have to do something _soon_. As soon as she got Dean alone, she was going to tell him what was happening.

"Well don't sugar coat it Sam," Dean glared at his brother.

"I'm just telling him the truth," Sam argued, "Someone has to."

Jimmy sighed, nodding, before going to the car to speak to his wife about his decision. They watched as Jimmy hugged his crying wife when he'd finished telling her about the plan and walked away to go get them a car ready. Dean and Sam went off to hotwire it while Michelle stood watch.

Eventually Amelia and Claire walked over to the car with Jimmy as Sam and Dean got out, "Ok, so um, here's your car," Sam said, moving away from the driver's side.

"Hey," Jimmy knelt down to face his daughter, "Take care of your mom, ok bub?" he stood and walked over to his wife, giving her a hug before continuing to the Impala. They all piled in, Jimmy and Michelle in the back, Jimmy staring out the back of it as Dean drove away.

~8~

They had only been driving about a half hour, Jimmy trying to sleep off the guilt of leaving _again_, as the brothers talked.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean glanced at Sam.

"What?" Sam looked back at him.

"You practically fainted trying to gank a demon."

"Ok I didn't _faint_. I got a little _dizzy_."

"Well you can call it whatever you want, point is, you used to be strong enough to kill _Alastair_. Now you can't even kill, uh, stunt demon number three?"

"What do you want me to say about it Dean?" Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well for starters, what's going on with your mojo? I mean, it's yo-yoing all over the place. I'm not trying to pick a fight here ok, I just, y...you're _scaring_ me man."

"I'm scaring myself," Sam agreed.

Michelle took a breath, readying herself to say something, when a cell phone rang.

Sam answered it, "Hello. Who is this?" a moment later Sam had turned around and nudged Jimmy awake, "Hey, it's your wife."

Jimmy quickly took the phone worried, "Amelia…" his expression morphed into one of horror, "Oh my God."

~8~

The group were getting out of the Impala beside a rundown industrial building similar to the one they'd found Jimmy in.

"Alright, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean stated, "And that's exactly what you're going to do."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks," Michelle added, "We'll be right behind you."

"All you gotta do is stay calm and stall, let us do our job," Sam finished.

"You want me to stay _calm_?" Jimmy nearly shouted, "This is my _family_ we're talking about."

"Listen to me," Michelle stepped up, "This _will_ work."

"Nobody's gonna get hurt," Dean agreed.

"Whatever," Jimmy sighed, "Give me a minute, ok?" he walked off around the side of the building.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone," Sam said, "You know this is probably a trap?"

"Yeah, I know," Dean nodded, smiling, "That's why I have a plan."

"Great," Michelle rolled her eyes, Dean's plans usually _didn't_ go according to plan.

~8~

What a plan Dean had, get captured by demons and, when they were distracted, attack. Foolproof, really, _so_ well thought out, how could they argue. The sarcasm was present even in Michelle's mind as they were dragged before the possessed Amelia.

Each of them were being held by a demon while Amelia stood before an unconscious Claire, who was tied to a chair, and Jimmy.

"Nice plan Dean," Sam rolled his eyes.

Michelle shook her head, apparently Sam was of the same thought as her.

"Yeah, well, already bagged a thousand," Dean shrugged.

"Got a knife?" Amelia asked one of the female demons near her, one handing it over for her to hold along with a gun, "And you know what's funny?"

"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean supplied.

"Is I was actually _bummed_ to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel. Sorta like a milk run. Now look who landed in my lap."

"Yeah, well, you got us," Sam remarked, "Ok. Let these people go."

"Oh, Sam, it's easy to have shivers when your Wonder Girl powers aren't working, huh?" Dean and Michelle looked over at Sam, "Now for the punch line. Everybody dies," Amelia held up a gun, pointed at Sam, before spinning around to shoot Jimmy in the gut, sending him to the floor in pain, "Waste little orphan Annie," she ordered.

A male demon walked towards Claire, picking up a pipe as he went. Just as he went to strike her she awoke, reaching out to touch him on the forehead, exorcising him. The trio, seeing the demons distracted by this, quickly began fighting the demons holding them. Claire made the ropes around her burst apart and stood up.

"Castiel," Jimmy mumbled, seeing her blank expression.

The trio continued to fight the demons, Michelle pulling out a gun and shooting a demon in the forehead while Claire walked over to the one fighting Dean and exorcised him. Michelle ran over to Dean's side, helping him up, when they turned...just in time to see Sam sucking the blood out of the demon beneath him. He turned around, seeing them staring at him in shock, blood all around his mouth, like an animal. Dean's eyes widened in horror as Michelle looked away in disgust.

Sam quickly turned around and stabbed the demon in the chest. He twisted, holding out his hands towards Dean and Michelle, who backed away from him, allowing him to exorcize the demon from Amelia. Michelle ran over to the woman's side to help her up when she fell, not looking at Sam.

"Oh course we keep our promises," they heard Claire, now Castiel, say to Jimmy, kneeling at his side, speaking of something the man had clearly called out to Castiel to hear when he'd been alone, "Of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. To your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord."

"No!" he groaned.

"Rest now Jimmy."

"No, Claire," Jimmy begged.

"She's with me now," Castiel answered through Claire, "She chose it. It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

"Please Castiel," Jimmy pleaded, "I need you to take _me_, take me _please_."

Dean, Michelle, and Amelia approached them slowly as Sam joined them, "I wanna make sure you understand," Castiel said, "You won't die, or age. This last year's painful for you, picture a hundred, a _thousand_ more like it."

Jimmy scrunched his face in pain, _knowing_ what it would be like, but if it saved his daughter from having to endure it...

Michelle quickly made her way to Jimmy's other side, "Jimmy, Jimmy look at me," he did, "Do you remember anything about me from Castiel?" he nodded hesitantly, "Then you know I _always _keep my promises right?" he nodded again, "Then I _promise_ you, if it is the _last_ thing I do, I _will _see you back with your family and safe when this is over. You _will _be protected, if I have to camp outside your lawn every day and watch over you. Ok? I _promise_."

Jimmy nodded, taking a breath and turned to Castiel, he was going to beg for this anyway, but the fact that Michelle had given him a way back to his family made it bearable, "Take me, just take me."

"As you wish," Castiel nodded, touching Jimmy's cheeks and transferring a light from Claire to Jimmy. Once the light faded, Claire and Jimmy gasped, Claire slumping forward in exhaustion. Jimmy, now Castiel, stood up and walked past Amelia as she went to comfort Claire.

"Cas, hold up," Dean said as Michelle walked up to them, Castiel stopped and turned, "What were you gonna tell us?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away Dean," Castiel stated harshly, "I serve _Heaven_, I don't serve _man_ and I certainly don't serve _you_," he turned and walked away, leaving the trio completely surprised by his reaction.

~8~

That night, Dean was driving the Impala down the highway, Sam in the passenger's seat, Michelle silent in the back.

"Alright, let's hear it," Sam sighed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Drop the bomb man, you saw what I did, you both did, come on, stop the car, take a swing."

"I'm not gonna take a swing."

"Me either," Michelle said quietly.

"Then scream," Sam told them, "Chew me out."

"We're not mad Sam," Michelle said.

"Come on, _you're_ not mad?" Sam looked between them, not believing them for a moment.

"Nope," Dean shook his head.

"Right," Sam scoffed, "Look, at least let me _explain_ myself."

"_Don't_," Michelle cut in, "It probably has something to do with Ruby and I really, _really_ don't want to hear it. I don't care."

Sam's eyes widened and he felt like he'd been punched, "You don't care?" he said quietly.

"What do you want us to say, that we're disappointed?" Dean turned to glare at him, "Yeah, we _are_. But mostly we're just _tired_, man. We're _done_. We're just done with all your shit."

Sam's phone rang, disrupting the conversation. It was Bobby, he wanted them to hightail it to his house. Apparently he'd found something about the Apocalypse that he needed to show them.

~8~

Bobby was leading the trio down a hallway, towards the demon panic room, Michelle and Dean lagging behind.

"Well thanks for shaking the tail," Bobby remarked, opening the door to the room, "Now go on inside, I wanna show you something."

"Alright," Sam sighed, stepping into the room and looking around, "So ah, what's the big demon problem?"

"You are," Bobby stated, "This is for your own good."

Sam turned around in time to see Dean and Bobby shut the iron door while Michelle hugged herself behind them, "Guys?" he called, rushing to the door, banging on it, "Hey, come here, guys. This isn't funny. Guys! Hey! Guys!"

Dean closed his eyes a moment before sliding the lock into place.

A/N: And now we have a better idea of the relationship Castiel and Michelle have, he's been in her life since she was a child, watching out for her, checking up on her...but is that all? Is the fact that she can see angels the REAL reason Castiel watches over her? Is there more too it? So many questions...

Wow...this story will be over in like 2 days! No! So sad, I never want any of my stories to end, but...at least we'll get 'Heaven' after eh?


	22. When the Levee Breaks

When the Levee Breaks

In Bobby's panic room, Sam was leaning against the door, trying to talk to Dean just outside it, talking through the little barred window.

"Ok," Sam said, trying to stay calm, "Let me out. This is not funny."

"Damn straight," Dean remarked.

"Dean, come on. This is _crazy_."

"No," Dean shook his head, "Not until you dry out."

"Look, I'm _sorry_. I shouldn't have lied to you. Just open the door."

"You don't have to apologize," Dean said sarcastically, "It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you lied to me over and _over _again. It's not your fault that you basically _destroyed _Michelle over and over again. I get it now. You couldn't _help it_."

"I'm not some junkie!" Sam defended.

"Really? I guess I've just imagined how strung out you've been lately."

"You're actually trying to twist this into some kind of ridiculous drug intervention?"

"If it smells like a duck."

"Dean, I'm not drinking the demon blood for _kicks_. I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith."

"Strong?" Dean scoffed.

"Yeah."

"This is about as far away from strong as you can get. Try weak. Try desperate. _Pathetic_."

"Killing Lilith is what matters. Or are you so busy being self-righteous you forgot about her?"

"Oh, Lilith's gonna die," Dean assured him, "Bobby, Michelle, and I will kill her. But not with _you_."

"You're not serious."

"Congrats, Sammy. You just bought yourself a benchwarmer seat to the Apocalypse."

"Dean, look…no, wait…" Sam began but Dean just shut the window cover, "Come back here. Dean! Let me out of here! Dean! Let me out of here! Let me out! Dean!"

Dean sighed, rubbing his head, trying to ignore Sam banging on the door, before looking down to the side of the door. There, sitting on the floor, was Michelle, with her knees draw to her chest, head resting back against the iron wall.

"You gonna be ok?" he asked her quietly so Sam wouldn't hear, "You're not gonna let him out right?"

Michelle just glared up at him, offended that he would even _think_ she'd let him out to go run back to Ruby.

He cleared his throat, embarrassed, "Right. Call out if you think something's wrong."

With that, he walked off to check in with Bobby.

~8~

Michelle sat outside the door, closing her eyes as she tried to concentrate on Sam. She knew Sam hadn't tried to drink demon blood_ before_ she and Dean had gone to Hell, so it had to have started during the four months he'd spent with Ruby, which meant he had only been dealing with it a little under a year, completely within her power zone. She'd explained that to Dean but also that it would be difficult for her to purify Sam at this point. In order to use her powers to the fullest potential she had to be in physical contact with the person infected. In order to do that, they had to have their guard down enough to let her close. Right now, Sam was too desperate to let her near him, he'd probably knock her out the first chance he got and bolt. Dean had agreed with that, he refused to let her into the room to begin the process, actually fearing what his brother might do to her to get out. So now, she was sitting there, trying to use her powers from a distance. It _was_ possible, but it took much more effort. It took even more when you considered that she had to do it though an iron door.

"Guys!" Sam shouted, "Get down here! Something's coming!"

She frowned, knowing that the hallucinations of withdrawal were setting in. It would make it much more difficult to help. She'd have to work through the hallucinations before she could do anything, picking them apart piece by piece.

She frowned as she focused in on Sam, tapping into her powers. A moment later she felt like she was in the room with him, staring in horror as Alastair appeared.

"Hello, Sam," the demon said, "It's a pleasure to see you again. Looks like I have you all to myself here. Goodness. How will we pass the time?"

Suddenly Sam was bound and gagged to a cross inside a Devil's Trap.

"Don't!" he begged, "No, no, don't. Don't, don't. No…stop! Stop! Alastair…please. Please!"

"So polite all of a sudden," Alastair smirked, "Very nice. I appreciate that."

"No, Alastair, please. No, no…"

Michelle pressed her eyes closed, willing herself to see just enough past the hallucination, opening them to see Sam lying on the cot, his arms spread open, not bound or gagged at all. She looked down at her hand to see a knife appear in it and back up to Alastair. She walked over and quickly slit the demon's throat from behind. He disappeared and Sam sat up on the cot gasping. He looked up, as though he could see Michelle standing there, holding a bloody knife, before she disappeared.

In the hall Michelle gasped as she opened her eyes.

~8~

It didn't take long for the next hallucination to set in. Sam had barely sat up on the cot when a younger version of himself appeared before him.

"The answer's yes," Michelle heard as she tried to focus on Sam again, another hallucination, she appeared in the room to see Sam having a conversation with his younger self, "You're hallucinating. That's right, it's me. Or I mean it's you."

"I'm losing my mind," Sam mumbled to himself.

Michelle rolled her eyes, she could have told him that.

"Definitely," young Sam agreed.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Michelle watched them closely, every hallucination was different, each steeped in some part of his subconscious. She wasn't sure if this one would be helpful or hurtful, she just had to wait and see. Maybe this one would get through to him on what he'd been doing, how far he'd strayed.

"An explanation," the young Sam answered, "How could you _do_ this to me? I thought we were gonna be _normal_."

Michelle held her breath, waiting for Sam's reply, "I tried. I did. It didn't pan out that way. Sorry, kid."

"'Sorry, kid?' _That's_ what you have to say? It's all we _ever_ wanted. We were _so close_. You got away from dad. You quit hunting. You were gonna become a lawyer and get married. Why'd you blow it?"

"Look…they killed Jessica..."

"Yeah. And if you hadn't run off with Dean, if you'd been there to protect her, she'd still be alive."

"I know," Sam sighed.

Michelle was about to take a step forward and cast the hallucination away, when his next words stopped her cold.

"And what about Michelle?" the young Sam asked, glaring at his older self, "You think she would want you to turn into _this_? She _loved_ you. She probably _still_ loves you. You think she's doesn't know you're just using offing Lilith as an _excuse_?"

"I'm sorry," Sam glared as well, "I _am_. But life doesn't turn out the way you thought when you were fourteen years old. We were _never_ gonna be normal. We were _never _gonna get away. Grow up."

"Maybe you're right," the young one shrugged, "Maybe there's no escape. After all, how can you run from what's inside you?"

That was it. She'd waited too long. She quickly walked over to the boy, shoving him away from Sam, the force sending him through the iron wall and out of the room.

~8~

"The news," Bobby sighed, "The news ain't good."

"This is what Rufus called about?" Dean looked down at a paper, "'Key West sees ten species go extinct.'"

"Yep," Bobby nodded, putting more papers down, "Plus Alaska. Fifteen-man fishing crew all stricken blind, cause unknown. New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly 66 kids. All this in a single day."

"They're all seals," Michelle said from the doorway. The boys looked up, shocked to see her away from Sam's door. She smiled weakly at them, "I just need some water," she walked quickly to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle from the fridge and taking a gulp.

"How many are left?" Dean asked, looking between the two.

"Who knows?" Bobby shook his head, "Can't be many. Where the hell are your angel pals?"

"You tell me," Dean said, glancing at Michelle, "You know?"

She shook her head solemnly, walking out of the room and back to Sam's. Her eyes widened as she literally _felt_ him in the throes of another hallucination. She quickly sat down, centering herself and entered in the midst of it, behind him.

He was sitting on the cot, a blonde woman next to him. She would have mistaken her for Sam's girlfriend, until she walked around to stand before them to see it was his mother.

"…brother doesn't understand," Mary Winchester was saying, "I was raised a Hunter from a long line. We understand that there are gonna be hard choices. And we do what we have to, to get the job done. Yes, our family is cursed. But you…you have the power to turn it into a _gift_. You can use it against them."

"For revenge?" Sam looked up, startled.

"No, for _justice_. I know how scared you are."

"What's in me, mom, it's…" he shook his head.

"Evil," Mary nodded, "And you know it."

"What if it's stronger than me?" Sam asked, nearly breaking down, "Look at me. What if Dean's _right_?"

Michelle felt tears come to her eyes, the way things were going, had been going, Dean _was_ right.

"Dean can never know how strong you are, because Dean is _weak_," Mary continued. Michelle's face hardened as she quickly made a gun appear in her hands, "Look at what he's done to you. Locking you in here? He's _terrified_. He's in over his head. You have to go on without him. You have what it takes. You have to kil…"

She was cut off by the sound of gun being fired. She fell back on to the bed, forehead smoking, and disappeared.

Sam looked up, startled, only to see Michelle lower her gun, stone faced before disappearing. Sam shook his head firmly, it was a hallucination. All of it. Alastair, his younger self, his mother, Michelle, it was all in his head. He was trying _so hard_ to block it out…but what if they were _right_?

Outside the door, Michelle quickly took another gulp of water, clenching her eyes shut and rubbing her head. It took _so much_ effort to get into Sam's head, to help purify the demonic influences from him and she probably wasn't even halfway through the hallucinations, which were really just manifestations of that influence. If she could just wipe Ruby's influence from him, he'd see what he was doing and let her purify his blood completely. But...at the rate the hallucinations were coming, she wasn't sure she'd have enough left in her to finish before the hallucinations killed him itself.

~8~

Michelle was sitting outside the panic room, her arms wrapped around her knees which were pulled to her chest while she rested her head on them.

"Guys!" Sam suddenly shouted, "Help!

Her head snapped up at the sound of it. Something was _different_ in his voice, something was _wrong_. She got up hastily and peeked through the little window to see Sam fall to the ground and start to convulse.

"DEAN!" she screamed.

Moments later Dean and Bobby were racing over and peeking thought the same window. Sam seemed to be in the middle of a seizure.

"What if he's faking?" Dean hesitated.

"You really think he would?" Bobby asked, stunned.

"I think he'd do anything."

"He's not," Michelle stated, "Something's wrong."

Suddenly Sam flew across the room and slammed into the wall in an inhuman way.

"That ain't faking!" Bobby shouted, pulling the door open. They ran in and charged over to Sam, Michelle and Dean by his sides and Bobby holding his legs from kicking. They managed to pick him up and move him to the cot, pinning him down, "We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety," Bobby commented as Sam calmed a bit. He looked up at Dean, who was staring at his brother in concern, not having seemed to have heard him, "Dean? You with me?"

"Dean!" Michelle called, snapping him out of it, "_Before _he has another fit please."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean swallowed, "Let's just get it over with."

~8~

Michelle sat at the foot of Sam's bed. Once he'd been tied down she'd tried to begin the process of purifying him, but found that in his unconscious state, he'd closed himself off. That either meant one of three things. Either Sam, even unconscious, wasn't letting her close enough, or the hallucinations and influence were too powerful and she'd have to break them down more, or she was just too tired to help at the moment…none of them were very good situations.

Slowly Sam began to move in his sleep, just starting to wake up. She watched him carefully as he looked down at his chains. She opened her mouth to say something when she saw Sam look up to the other side of the bed.

"You _know_ why," Sam replied, talking to someone who wasn't there.

Michelle sagged forward, crying a bit to herself in exhaustion. It was situation number two then. Which meant, she needed to get back to work. No rest for her today.

She must have been more tired than she thought she was, either that or this hallucination was more powerful than the others as she had a harder time working her way into it.

She eventually opened her eyes to see an image of Dean sitting on Sam's bedside, talking to him.

"I know why you _really_ drink that blood, Sam," 'Dean' was saying.

"Just leave me alone," Sam glared.

"Makes you feel strong. Invincible. A big bad wolf in a world of little pigs."

"No," Sam shook his head, "You're wrong, Dean."

"It's more than that, isn't it? It's because your whole life, you felt different. Am I right?"

"Stop…"

"Oh, I hit a little close to home, huh? Not different because you were some lonely kid or because of your weirdo family."

"Stop it."

"Because you're a _monster_."

"Shut up!" Sam shouted struggling, "Just…shut the hell up."

Michelle frowned, looking down at her hand, willing some sort of weapon to appear there. This was undoubtedly a powerful hallucination. Powerful in terms that it _could _have been _real_, at least to Sam. With Alastair and his younger self and his mother, they were all dead, and he _knew _they weren't real. But _this_…the way their relationship had been going, for all Sam cared, Dean _could_ really feel that way. And if he really _believed _it was happening, it made it all the harder to break.

"You were always a monster," 'Dean' continued, "And you only feel right when you're sucking down more poison and more evil," Sam struggled in his chains, "Monster, Sam. You're a monster."

"Dean, no," Sam begged.

"And I tried _so hard_ to pretend that we were _brothers_, that you weren't one of the filthy things that we hunt. But we're not even the same species. You're _nothing_ to me."

"Don't say that to me. _Don't_ you _say that_ to _me_."

Michelle managed to finally get a knife into her hand and stabbed 'Dean' right in the back, causing him to disappear. She collapsed to the ground, weary, breathing heavily. She swallowed hard, opening her eyes to see Sam looking around the room, no false visions seeming to haunt him.

"Michelle?" he asked slowly, seeing her half-falling off her chair as she tried to regain what little strength she had left from the exertion of stopping that last vision.

She tried to smile, when suddenly the cuff on Sam's left arm snapped open and then his left ankle, and the other two. She lurched forward to try and re-strap him down, fearing another fit but he grabbed her wrists, holding them tightly as she struggled. He quickly pulled her off the bed with him, spinning her and forcing her to kneel, placing one of his knees on the back of her leg to pin her. She struggled as much as she could, her eyes widening in horror as the door to the room opened on its own.

She struggled harder, about to throw her head back and head butt Sam, when he threw her at the wall, head first, knocking her out, and ran.

~8~

Moments later, or at least that's what it felt like, someone had rolled her onto her back and was dabbing at a wound on her head. She hissed in pain, putting her hand to her head, only to feel sticky blood on her fingertips. She opened her eyes, blinking at the light to see Dean and Bobby leaning over her, worried.

"How did he get out?" Dean asked her quietly, helping her sit up.

"I'm not sure," she replied, cursing herself for being too weak to stop him, "The straps unbuckled and the door just opened."

"The Devil's Traps are all busted too," Bobby commented, looking around the room.

"Demons?" Dean suggested, "Ruby?"

"That'd be my guess," Bobby shrugged.

"How did she even touch the door?"

"You think she's got the mojo?"

"I didn't think so. I don't know, man."

"It wasn't her," Michelle replied, "Too many traps for her to break without getting caught in one."

"How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to," Bobby cut in.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Dean stated, "At this point, I _hope _he's with Ruby."

"Why?" Bobby looked at him.

"'Cause killing her's the next item on my to-do list," Dean nearly growled.

"Save some for me," Michelle smiled a bit.

"I thought you were on call for angel duty," Bobby reminded him.

"Angel duty?" Michelle looked up, startled, "Dean, tell me you _didn't_…"

"I _am _on call," Dean confirmed, nodding, "In my car, on my way to murder the bitch with Michelle," he helped Michelle to her feet, steadying her as she swayed, and headed out of the room with her.

"One thing," Bobby called.

"What?" Dean paused.

"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find," he told them.

"We'll see about that," Michelle replied.

~8~

Bobby came out to his salvage yard just as Dean and Michelle were finishing up loading things in to the truck of the Impala, "Police found my car," he told them, "Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota."

"He's switching up," Michelle nodded, "Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?"

"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."

"What was the other one?" Dean asked.

"White '05 Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign."

"You're right," Dean nodded, looking at Michelle, "He'd never take that."

"Which is _exactly _what he did," she caught on.

"You think?" Bobby frowned.

"I know that kid," Dean replied, "Alright, we'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases. We gotta find him, quick."

~8~

Michelle frowned as she sat in the passenger's seat of the Impala, racing off with Dean. He'd just explained to her his conversation with Castiel and how he'd sworn to side with, and obey, the angels if it would get Sam off the hook. She couldn't say she was too pleased with that, she was actually furious at Castiel for tricking him like that, because that was exactly what it was, an angelic trick to get control of Dean. It wasn't like Cas, whatever happened in Heaven, it left a serious impression and she'd have her work cut out for her snapping him out of it.

Her cell rang in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out, switching it to speaker when she saw it was Bobby, "Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River," he informed them.

"How far away are we?" Michelle asked.

"A couple of hours," Bobby sighed, "I pulled up a weather map, made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring. Lighting up with demon signs."

"A good place to look," Dean agreed.

"Hey, listen…"

"What?" Dean glanced down at the phone in Michelle's hand.

"Us finding Sam…it's gotta be about getting him _back_, not pushing him _away_."

"Right," Dean rolled his eyes, like he _didn't_ know that already.

"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm just saying…be good to him anyway. You gotta get _through _to him. Good luck."

He hung up and Michelle shut the phone, frowning in thought for a moment before turning to Dean, "I promise I'll get Sam back."

He glanced at her, confused, "Yeah, I know we'll find him."

She shook her head, "No, I don't mean just _finding_ him. I mean, I'll get your brother _back_."

Dean's face grew serious as he realized what she was talking about, "You can't. Not right now, not after all the energy you've wasted trying to break through to him before."

"I don't care," she swallowed, "If I get the chance to get rid of the blood, I'm going to do it."

Dean sighed, "Cas said that the amount of blood Sam needs to kill Lilith would make him into a monster. That's too much blood for you to purify on a good day and you're like half-dead right now."

"I know," she sighed, "But I made a promise once to Sam to get you back and I did. I've already made my promise to you to get _him_ back. And…if anything…this whole thing just proves to me that he needs _you_ more than he needs _me_."

Dean frowned at that. She sounded all too willing to sacrifice herself, kill herself even, to get Sam back. But the more he thought about it, the more he could see why. Everything Sam had done from the moment she got back from Hell had just been another knife in her heart. Hating her, smothering her, being with Ruby, trusting Ruby, having sex with that doctor, drinking demon blood, and now hurting her just so he could join up with Ruby…she probably felt like she'd already lost him to Ruby so he wouldn't care if she wasn't there anymore. But Dean knew it was the exact opposite. If his brother could think, for just one second, _without_ the demon blood flowing in him or Ruby influencing him, he'd pick Michelle over Dean any day.

~8~

Sam ran though everything he and Ruby had gone over as he neared the motel room. She'd found Lilith, which was great, or at least a way to find her. And he'd learned that there were only two or three seals left to break, the angels were losing, and only Lilith could break the last one. If he got to her in time, he'd save the world.

He'd entered to see Dean and Ruby locked in a fight with Michelle aiming her gun, waiting for a clear shot at the demon. Without even thinking, he ran forward, pulling Michelle back against him, grabbing her arms and crashing them into the corner of the bed, forcing her to drop her gun. Before she could make a move to defend herself, he'd grabbed her knife off her and held it to her throat.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, "Let her go!"

Dean turned around from where he'd been holding Ruby to the wall, her own demon-killing knife pressed to her throat, to see Sam holding Michelle at knife point. His eyes widened in disbelief and horror, _never_ had he thought _Sam _would go _this far_ off track as to be willing to do _that_ to _Michelle_.

Dean glared at his brother in disgust, "Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep us from crashing it."

"I'm glad you're here," Sam replied.

"Really?" Dean scoffed, "Doesn't look like it from here."

"Look. Let's just _talk _about this."

Dean's face hardened, "Soon as she's dead," he nodded to Ruby, "We can talk all you want."

"_Don't_ you _dare_," Sam warned.

Michelle let out hiss of pain that drew Dean's attention.

He looked over to see a thin line of blood trail down Michelle's neck from where Sam had pressed the knife harder. He shook his head, "I don't believe you," he spat at his brother, "Do you even _realize_ what you're _doing_?" Sam stared at him, "You're willing to kill _Michelle_ to save a _demon_ Sam?"

"Let her go," Sam demanded.

Michelle tried to shake her head but winced as the knife made another cut with the movement.

Dean glared at his brother, before pulling away from Ruby, allowing her to run from the room. As soon as Sam was sure she was out, he lowered the knife, allowing Michelle to step away from him. Dean immediately pulled her away from his brother and checked her neck, relieved the cuts weren't deep enough to nick anything serious.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, grabbing a couple tissues to dab at the blood collecting on her neck.

"She's _poison_, Sam," Dean turned to his brother, his arm around Michelle, feeling her shaking, clearly she hadn't thought Sam would _ever_ do that to her either.

"It's not what you think, Dean," Sam argued, "It's not what either of you think."

"Look what she _did_ to you!" Dean yelled, "I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit…"

"She was looking for _Lilith_."

"That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday."

"You're wrong."

"Sam, you're lying to yourself," Michelle said quietly, "We just want you to be ok, _I_ just want you to be ok. You would do the same for me, for Dean, for anyone. You _know _you would."

"Just listen," Sam begged, raising his hand. Seeing that he was still holding the knife, he threw it onto the bed, "Just _listen _for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us. We'll do this together."

"That sounds great," Dean replied, "As long as it's you and me and Michelle. Demon bitch is a deal breaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."

"I can't," Sam said, without any hesitation.

Dean turned away, nodding, as though he were expecting that, feeling Michelle flinch next to him. His brother was going to be the death of her wasn't he?

"I need her to help me kill Lilith," Sam continued, "I know you guys can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the _only_ one who can do this."

"No, you're not," Michelle replied, honestly not sure why she was hurting so much about all this. She'd known for months now that she'd lost Sam to Ruby, had tried like hell to prepare herself for this moment, when it would be Sam vs. them...but it still hurt. _So much_.

"Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's _Dean_."

"You don't think I can?" Dean challenged.

"No," Sam shook his head, "You _can't_. You're not strong enough."

"Who _are _you?" Dean stared at his brother in horror.

"I'm being practical here," Sam replied, sounding far too similar to his hallucinations for Michelle's comfort, "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Yeah?" Dean scoffed, "You're not gonna do a single damn thing."

"Stop bossing me around, Dean," Sam glared, pulling himself to his full height, "Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for _once_, trust_ me_."

"You _don't _know what you're _doing_, Sam," Michelle argued.

"Yes, I do."

"Then that's_ worse_," Dean finished.

"Why? Look, I'm telling you…"

"Because it's not something that you're _doing_, it's what you _are_!" Michelle shouted, feeling tears in her eyes at what she'd said, at the truth in it, "It means…" she cut herself off, she didn't want to believe the demon blood had taken over, but she could see it, even now.

His eyes were almost entirely black to her.

"What?" Sam glared at her, "No. Say it."

"It means you're a _monster_," Dean said for her.

Sam nodded, before suddenly punching Dean, sending him the ground, hard. He reached out and grabbed Michelle, throwing her into the wall like he'd done in the panic room. However, this time, he threw her back-first not headfirst. It didn't help.

Her already throbbing head hit the wall along with her now-bruised back. She fell onto her stomach, struggling to get up, watching in horror as Sam and Dean fought, Sam clearly dominating his older brother. She managed to get to her feet just as Sam pinned Dean to the floor and began to _choke_ him. She ran at him, tackling him off his brother, but he managed to throw her off him and into a table.

He stood up and glared down at the two of them, "You don't know me. Neither of you. You _never_ did. And you _never_ will," he turned and walked away.

"You walk out that door, don't you _ever_ come back!" Dean shouted.

He knew they were the _exact same words_ their father had used when Sam went to college, he was hoping to God it might strike _something_ in his brother, make him stop.

But, instead, Sam just continued walking, leaving them broken and bleeding on the floor.

A/N: Damn...I think Sam might have just hit the bottom of that hole he's been digging this season. What do you think? Will there be _any_ coming back from this for the Sam/Michelle relationship? Will Dean and Michelle be able to stop him? What will happen now?

Wait and see :)


	23. Lucifer Rising

Lucifer Rising

Dean had refused to stay anywhere _near_ the hotel after their confrontation with Sam. Instead, he'd helped Michelle to the Impala and sped off, driving nonstop till they returned to Bobby's house.

Bobby had immediately run to them, with a first aid kit, already guessing that Sam wouldn't be returning with them. He'd taken care of them, let them rest for the night, and the next morning had gone on a rant about how stupid and stubborn Dean was being. He'd been given a rundown of what had happened, of what Dean had said and done, and was more pissed at him than Michelle.

"Dean?" Bobby shouted, "Dean! You listen to a word I said?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Dean stated, staring out the window, "I'm not calling him."

"Don't make me get my gun," Bobby threatened as Michelle leaned against the doorway, staring down at the cup of tea in her hand, lost in thought.

"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?" Dean responded, turning to face him.

"I know you're pissed," Bobby said calmly, looking between him and Michelle, "I know he's hurt both of you, _bad_, and I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your…"

"Blood?" Dean cut in, "He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?"

"He's your _brother_," Michelle said quietly.

Dean sighed, "I_ tried_ to help him," he looked up at Michelle, "We _both _did but...look what happened."

"So we try again," she stated, "I promised I'd get Sam back, but I need your help to do it."

"It's too late," he shook his head.

"There's no such thing," Bobby cut in.

"No, damn it!" Dean glared at the man, "No. We gotta face the facts. Sam _never _wanted part of this family. He _hated_ this life. Ran away to Stanford the _first_ chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again," he sat heavily in a chair, "Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants."

"You don't mean that," Michelle shook her head slowly.

She was pissed at Sam too, of course she was, she was hurt, she was tired, and she was devastated by what he'd done and been doing...but she was a stubborn bitch, her time in the pit had reaffirmed that at least. She was NOT about to lose Sam completely, not to RUBY of all people, and not without a damned fight! She _knew_ why he was acting out the way he was, the fucking _demon blood_ he'd been_ guzzling_, it _infected_ him. The more he drank, the worse he'd get, the farther he'd fall, the less _Sam_ he'd be. If she could just get that cleared out of his system, he'd see what he'd done, he'd see what he'd become, and he could come back from that. The Sam he was now...it wasn't the Sam she_ knew_ he was, it was the blood warping and twisting him. In order to get him back... she had to clean him out first. And she knew she wouldn't be able to do it without Dean's help.

"Yes I do," Dean glared at her, "Sam's gone. He's _gone_. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was."

Bobby stared at Dean a moment, furious that he was giving up. A moment later he had tossed his belongings off his desk and advanced on Dean, forcing the younger man to stand, "You stupid, _stupid_ son of a bitch! Well, boo-hoo, I am _so_ sorry your feelings are hurt! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel _good_?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're _supposed_ to make you _miserable_! That's why they're _family_!"

"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back,' and he walked out anyway!" Dean argued, "That was _his _choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat. No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."

"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. That don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy _ever_ was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him."

Dean turned around and looked out the window as Bobby stormed out of the room. Michelle took a step forward to speak more to him, when suddenly she felt like all the color was draining from the room. She gasped and turned around, her eyes widened…

~8~

Dean turned around, hearing Michelle gasp, only to see himself in a large, ornate, waiting room. The walls were white with gold trim and accents, marble tables and statues, flowers and paintings everywhere, the table stocked with hamburgers and beer.

"Hello Dean," Castiel said, standing before him, "It's almost time."

"Time for what?" Dean asked, but Zachariah appeared.

"Hello, Dean," the angel smiled, "You're looking fit."

"Well, how 'bout this? 'The suite life of Zach and Cas,'" he smirked a bit, but at their blank faces his smirk fell, "It's a...never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell am I? Where's Michelle?"

"Call it a green room," Zachariah shrugged, "We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before show time. Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think."

"I'm not hungry," Dean glared, "And you never answered, where's Michelle?"

"She's fine," Zachariah waved him off, "No burgers? How about Ginger from season 2 of 'Gilligan's Island?' You do have a thing for her, don't you?"

"Tempting," he deadpanned, "Weird."

"We'll throw in Mary Ann for free."

"No, no. Let's...bail on the holodeck, ok? I want to know what the game plan is."

"Let _us _worry about that," the angel smiled, "We want you...focused, relaxed."

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking Chuckles."

"All the seals have fallen," Zachariah sighed, "Except one."

Dean's eyes widened, "That's an impressive score. That's...that's right up there with the 'Washington Generals.'"

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you?" he glared, "Considering you almost started all this? But the final seal...it'll be different."

"Why?" Dean frowned.

"Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night, midnight."

"Where?"

"We're working on it," he waved him off again.

"Well, work harder."

"We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours."

"Yeah, and what _is_ that, exactly? If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?"

"All in good time," he smirked.

"Isn't _now _a good time?"

"Have faith."

"What, in _you_?" Dean laughed, "Give me one good reason why I should."

Zachariah stormed over to him, "Because you swore your obedience. So obey."

Dean looked past him at Castiel, who looked down at the floor guiltily. And that was when he realized, he'd been tricked.

~8~

He didn't know how long he'd been in the room since Castiel and Zachariah had left. He'd tried calling Michelle on his cell, but no one picked up. He was debating trying to call Sam, see if he'd have better luck, and was pacing out his decision.

"Ah, screw it," he sighed, dialing his brother, only to get voicemail, "Hey, it's me. Uh..." he cleared his throat, "Look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed...and I'd bet Michelle is too, and we both owe you a serious beat down. But...I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not dad. We're_ brothers_. You know, we're _family_. And, Michelle…she really loves you, you know? And no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change anything. Sammy, I'm sorry."

He hung up and turned around to see Castiel standing behind him, "You asked to see me?" he asked.

Dean cleared his throat once again, "Yeah, listen, I, uh, I…I need something."

"Anything you wish."

"I need you to take me to see Sam."

"Why?" Castiel frowned.

"There's something I gotta talk to him about."

"What's that?"

"The B.M. I took this morning," Dean shot back sarcastically, "What's it to you? Just make it snappy."

"I don't think that's wise."

"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion," he glared.

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?"

"No. That's the whole point. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, ok? I just need to tie up this _one_ thing. Five minutes…that's all I need."

"No," Castiel sighed.

"What do you mean, no? Are you saying that I'm trapped here?"

"You can go wherever you want."

"Super. I want to go see Sam."

"Except there."

"Fine, then take me to see Michelle," he negotiated.

"I...can't," Castiel looked down.

"Why not!?" Dean shouted, getting frustrated.

"I am...uncertain...where she is," he replied hesitantly.

"How the hell do you _not_ know where she is?" Dean demanded.

"Zachariah is keeping her location private. Just as yours is to the others."

Dean shook his head, a horrible feeling settling in the pit of his stomach at the thought that only _Zachariah_, an angel he really didn't trust or care for right now, knew where she was, "You know what? Screw this noise. I'm out of here."

"Through what door?" Castiel asked.

Dean turned around to face him but looked back to see that the door he'd been heading for was gone as was Castiel, "Damn it!"

~8~

Dean was attempting to break through the wall with a pedestal but every time he paused the wall repaired itself, "Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you?" Zachariah appeared out of nowhere, "It's unbecoming."

"Let me out of here," Dean demanded.

"Like I told you, too dangerous out there," he smirked, "Demons on the prowl."

"I've been getting my ass kicked all year. _Now_ you're sweating my safety? You're lying. I want to see my brother. I want to see Michelle!"

"That's...ill-advised."

"You know, I am so _sick _of your crap riddles and your smug, fat face. What the hell is going on, huh? Why can't I see Sam? Where's Michelle? And how am I gonna ice Lilith?"

"You're not," Zachariah sighed, "...going to ice Lilith."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"Lilith's going to break the final seal. Fait accompli, at this point. Train's left the station."

"But me and Sam and Michelle, we can stop..." Dean cut himself off, realizing what was happening, "You don't want to stop it, do you?"

"Nope. Never did. The end is nigh. The Apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you."

"What was all that crap about saving seals?"

"Our grunts on the ground…we couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let _65 seals_ get _broken_ unless senior management wanted it that way?"

"But why?"

"Why not?"

"The Apocalypse?"

"Poor name, bad marketing, puts people off. When all it is, is Ali/Foreman. On a...slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins, and we _will_, it's paradise on Earth. Now, what's not to like about that?"

"What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?"

"Well...you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case...truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. Look...it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered," the angel glanced at the vase Dean was eyeing, "Uh, no, Dean. Probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing. Wouldn't end up too pleasant for you."

"What about Sam? He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith."

"Sam...has a part to play. A _very_ important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it."

"What does _that_ mean?" Dean glared at him, "What are you gonna do to him?"

Before the angel could get a word in, there was a banging noise from the side of the room. They turned to see Michelle standing in a doorway, having just kicked in the door. Dean glanced back at Zachariah to see him staring at Michelle in utter shock and disbelief. He looked back at the girl, who was now advancing on the angel, and his eyes widened.

She looked horrible!

She was bleeding from various wounds, her clothes were torn and slightly singed, she was limping, and he could clearly see the paths of tears from her eyes as they cleaned her dirty face.

"You send me to Hell _one more time_ you bastard and I swear to God I _will_ find a way to_ kill you myself_," she spat at Zachariah, pushing him back into a wall, " Now, GET OUT!"

The angel disappeared suddenly and Michelle staggered back. Dean caught her, completely shocked by her words. That bastard, that God damn bastard, had actually _thrown_ her _back_ into the _pit_! He wished she hadn't ordered him away as he wanted to kill the angel as well.

"CASTIEL!" she shouted, staring up at the ceiling, "Get your _ass_ down here _now_!"

Dean flinched as Castiel appeared, Michelle was in _no mood_ to be calm or polite…not that he could blame her.

Castiel's eyes widened as he saw the state she was in. He moved forward but Dean stepped back, pulling her with him, causing Castiel to stop, "What happened?" he asked her, staring in horror.

"Like you don't know," Dean glared at him. Were all the angels in on Zachariah's little plan?

"I was in Hell, thanks for asking," she replied, "Zachariah's doing."

"No," Castiel shook his head furiously, "No, he wouldn't…he wouldn't risk…"

"Apparently he would," Michelle cut in, "Now you have to get us out of here and to Chuck. Now."

He frowned, "I can't…my orders…"

"You _really_ want to test where these orders came from Cas?" she glared, "Do you? 'Cause you know as well as I do that if I order you to get us out and you're able to, then you're orders certainly didn't come from God right?" he frowned but nodded, "I'm willing to bet _everything_ you've been told since you were pulled up to Heaven was all a bunch of lies! It's just a way for your bosses to keep us all in line! You know what? People, _families_, they're all gonna _burn_ if you don't take us to Chuck _now_!"

"What is so worth saving?" Castiel asked sadly, "I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you," he glanced at Dean, but they all knew he was talking about humanity in general, "I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace."

"How about me Cas?" she asked, "Am _I_ worth saving? What do you see in _me_?"

He looked at her a long moment before his eyes widened as though he was seeing something clearly for once.

Trying his luck, Dean spoke, "You can take your peace...and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise."

Michelle nodded, "This is simple, Cas. No more crap about being a good soldier. There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you _know_ it," he looked down, "Please, _help_ us. _Don't_ make me order you, because you know, deep down, my order will come first."

Castiel swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good," Michelle smiled, "Now take us to Chuck, he'll know where Sam is and we have to stop him from killing Lilith."

"What?" Dean looked down at her, "But Lilith's gonna break the final seal!"

"Lilith _is _the final seal. If she dies, the end begins."

"When did you figure this out?"

She frowned, "I've known all along. 'And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal.'"

"And you didn't think to _warn_ us about that?"

"I thought if we could kill her before the other seals were broken then Lucifer wouldn't rise. The seals have to be broken in a certain _order_, Lilith _had_ to be _last_. If we killed her before the other seals, then Lucifer would still be trapped. But now…"

Dean nodded, understanding, "Now, we need to get to Chuck's."

Castiel reached out and touched them, zapping them to Chuck's house.

They appeared just as Chuck was on the phone, seeming to order something, when he saw them, "Wait," his eyes widened in shock, "This isn't supposed to happen," he glanced back at the phone, "No, lady, this is _definitely _supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back…" he hung up and looked up at them, "I…I didn't _write_ this…"

"Where's Sam?" Michelle asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Uh…St. Mary's."

"St. Mary's?" Dean asked Chuck, "What is it, a convent?"

"Yeah, but you guys _aren't _supposed to be there. You're not in this story."

"We're making it up as we go," Michelle stated, "Some things aren't set in stone."

Suddenly a rumbling began and a bright light poured in though the windows, the sign an archangel was approaching.

"Aw, man!" Chuck stood up, "Not again!"

"It's the archangel!" Castiel shouted, turning to Dean and Michelle, "I'll hold him off! I'll hold them _all_ off!" Michelle reached forward, hugging Castiel, as Chuck watched with a small smile on his face, knowing she was silently offering him her strength. Castiel was smiling as he pulled way, "Just stop Sam," he reached up and put a hand on their foreheads, teleporting them away.

~8~

They appeared in the hall of an abandoned convent, hearing Sam talking through a shut door at the end of the hall.

"I've been waiting for this...for a _very_ long time," he said.

"Then give me your best shot," Lilith challenged.

They ran to the door, banging on it, "Sam!" they called, "Sam!"

They could hear someone gasping and falling down but then Sam's voice, "Dean?" he called in confusion, "Michelle?"

But then they could hear Ruby shouting, "What are you waiting for?! Now! Sam, now!"

"Come on," Michelle said to Dean, pulling him back, motioning to kick the door. They both stepped back as Lilith laughed.

"You turned yourself into a freak!" she shrieked, "A monster. And now you're not gonna bite? I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable."

They kicked with all their might, cracking the door open just as Sam raised his hand to Lilith once more, "No!" Dean shouted, running forward to tackle Sam, but Ruby grabbed him and pulled him away, fighting him.

Sam was distracted just enough by this to drop his hand and turn around.

"Sam!" Michelle shouted, running up to him, staring at the black of his eyes, still there even though he wasn't using his powers, she felt tears collect in her eyes, but she realized, the confusion radiating off of him…it was _just_ enough of a distraction to lower his guard. She took a deep breath, concentrating, pulling all her power into what she was about to do, she just needed him to lower his guard a little bit more, "I'm sorry," she cried, tears falling down her cheeks again.

"For…for what?" he asked her, tilting his head to the side.

"I love you," she whimpered, shaking from the power building up within her, she reached out and laid a hand on his chest, "Forgive me."

Suddenly a white light appeared within her and shot out of her hand and into Sam, the force of the transfer blasted them both apart and sent them sailing into separate walls on either side of the room.

"NO!" Ruby shouted, leaving her fight with Dean to run and stand before Sam.

Sam sat up, stunned but unharmed. He looked down at himself and then around the room in confusion. What was he doing here? It was like he'd been in a fog the last few months and now it had cleared. He could think clearly, no sign of the craving he'd felt of demon blood in him. It was like he'd never even _tasted_ it in the first place. He looked over to see Lilith leaning heavily against a stone table while Ruby stood over him.

"I…it's gone…" he whispered more to himself than anyone else, a hand to his chest as he panted, "The demon blood…it's gone..."

"Michelle!" Dean shouted, running over to the prone form of the Hunter. He scooped her into his arms, checking for some form of life, and almost _cried_ at feeling a faint pulse.

"Damn it!" Ruby screeched, stepping way from Sam, "I _knew_ this would happen. I knew the little bitch would dry you out."

"Wh…what?" Sam looked up at her, swallowing hard. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that _everything_ he was remembering had actually _happened_ and wasn't just a horrible dream…oh God…the way he'd treated Dean…Michelle…he felt sick…

Ruby sighed, "At least I have a backup."

She smirked and looked to her left where a figure stepped out from behind a pillar. The boys gasped to see _Jake Talley_ standing there. Sam's eyes filled with horror as he saw the resurrected special child that had killed him and he had killed in return.

"My special boy," Ruby smiled at him, "Finish her."

"NO!" Dean shouted, pulling out Michelle's gun and aiming it at the man, but Ruby kicked it out of his hand, "Sam stop him!"

"What?" he shook his head, not understanding, "Why?"

"Lilith isn't going to _open_ the final seal. She _is _the final seal!"

Sam's eyes widened even more, "No…no!" he shook his head frantically, it _couldn't _be. He couldn't have been about to…

He looked up to see Jake strangling Lilith. He tried to get up but was too weak. He'd barely managed to stand and take a step before Ruby was at his side, easily holding him back.

The demon smoke poured out of Lilith's body, but Jake grabbed it in the air and squeezed it until it exploded…something they didn't know was possible. Lilith's body fell to the floor, blood pouring out of her and forming a deliberate circle on the floor.

"You _did_ it!" Ruby shouted, dropping Sam and running over to Jake, he turned to her, only to have her slit his throat and let him slump to the floor.

"What…what did he do?" Sam was breathing heavily. It couldn't be…but as he watched the blood form a pattern, he knew, it was _really_ happening.

"He opened the door," Ruby turned to face them, smirking at the sight of Sam weak and on his knees, Dean cradling a beaten and nearly dead Michelle, "And now he's free at last. He's _free_ at last!" she laughed maniacally, "'And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal.' And he bust her open. Now guess who's coming to dinner!"

"Oh, my God," Sam felt like he was going to throw up, his stomach clenching painfully. It was _real_…he'd almost…_he'd_ almost been the one to let Lucifer free.

"Guess again," Ruby said, elated, "It _should_ have been _you_, but I had to have a backup, I knew that little bitch," she threw a sneer at Michelle, "Would try and save you," before laughing, "You don't even _know_ how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. _No one_ knew. I was _the best_ of those sons of bitches! The _most _loyal! Not even _Alastair_ knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now. But, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit, I'm…I'm _awesome_!"

"You bitch!" he yelled, just now realizing she _had_ been _manipulating_ _him_ all along. Right from the very beginning, everything she'd done, every time she'd saved him, was to get him to trust her. She'd played on his desire to get his brother back and fueled his revenge on Lilith to get him to agree to do _anything_ to kill the demon. She'd offered him her blood, saying it would be to make him stronger, and he'd _believed_ her because of everything she had done, "You lying bitch!" he reached up to try and use his powers but it didn't work, he dropped his hand, grabbing his head in pain.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sammy," she smirked, "It's useless. Your little girlfriend over there cleaned you out."

"The blood..." he looked up at her, realizing just _why_ he felt so different, so much more in control and clearheaded, "You _poisoned _me."

"No," she knelt before him, "It wasn't the blood. It was _you_...and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path _every time_. This was so long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you _here_. You were supposed to be the one to do it…but I had to be safe…what did you think I was _really _doing when I was gone? Looking for Lilith?" she laughed, "I was making you _want_ it, and while I was with you," she glanced back at Jake's body, "I was making _him_ want it. I played you _both_ like a _fiddle_."

"Why?" Sam backed away, "Why us? Why _me_?"

Ruby shook her head, standing, "Lucifer needed a special child to break the last seal, you and Jake were one of them. Azazel had to find the best one, it was either you or him. Either one would have done, you both won the contest after all. I just had to resurrect him..."

Dean, hearing what she was saying, gently put Michelle on the ground and grabbed Ruby's demon-killing knife from his pocket and stormed at her.

She turned to smirk at him, "You're too late you know."

"I don't care!" Dean shouted, advancing.

Before she could take a step back, Sam stood and grabbed her arms, holding her in place as Dean stabbed her in the stomach with the knife.

Ruby gasped.

Sam let go of her and Dean kept advancing, pushing her back into the wall, pressing the knife into her more. He looked over at Sam, who stepped forward, taking the knife, about to twist it, when Ruby smiled, "Hey Sam…" he looked at her, glaring, "Dean's not in Hell, Michelle took his place."

He was confused for only a moment at why she had said that, when Michelle's words drifted back to him from ages ago…_the demon who held my contract was supposed to tell you what happened, I guess she didn't_…his jaw tensed as he twisted the knife, taking pleasure in Ruby's pain, before she flickered and the demon died.

All that time…all that time Michelle had been _suffering_ in _Hell_…he'd _had_ the demon who put her there at arms' length. If he had just killed her when he saw her, like Dean always said they should, Michelle wouldn't have been in Hell for near 50 years. He could have _saved_ her, all this time, he could have gotten her back but he hadn't, he'd even _defended Ruby_ from them…if he thought he was going to be sick before, he was sure of it now.

Ruby crumpled to the floor, dead, as Sam sunk down, "I'm sorry," he sobbed brokenly, "I'm _so _sorry…"

Dean reached down and pulled him up, "We gotta go," he said, turning to go and get Michelle. Their eyes widened as the blood pouring out of Lilith completed its pattern and a bright light began to shoot out of the center of it, the convent starting to shake.

"Shit!" Dean shouted, pulling Sam with him over to Michelle's body. Sam, as though just seeing her lying there unconscious, went to pick her up but Dean stopped him, "_I_ got her."

Sam flinched, Dean didn't trust him with her, and he didn't blame him.

"Let's go," he turned to Sam, Michelle cradled in his arms.

"Dean…he's coming," Sam muttered, watching as the light began to widen.

"Run!" Dean shouted, pushing his brother towards the door as the light filled the room...

To be continued...in...Heaven!

A/N: So that's all for 'Purgatory,' I hope you enjoyed this story :)

As for the whole Jake Talley thing, I figure Crossroad Demons could probably resurrect someone, so why not Jake? He did technically win that whole 'special child' battle first. If Dean hadn't made a deal to get Sam back, and Sam hadn't killed Jake, then Jake would probably have been here anyway. And since Ruby knew Michelle, knew her powers, she would definitely want to prepare for Michelle finding out about what Sam was doing and trying to clean him out. She would NOT have come all that way and not taken precautions like that :) Hope it was believable.

And I just want to take a second to thank you guys, readers, reviewers, favoriters, etc, you guys are great and I really want to thank you for all your reviews and comments. I'm glad you're liking the story so far. And I hope you'll like what I have planned for the last in the trilogy.

Check back tomorrow for the start of 'Heaven!'


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